Soccer Star Beckham Gets into Casino Game in China

Retired soccer star and sometime underwear model David Beckham has signed on to help promote Las Vegas Sands' properties in Singapore and the Chinese gambling enclave of Macau.

Sands says in a statement that it hopes to cash in on Beckham's popularity in the region.

The Las Vegas-based company is the largest casino operator in Macau, the center of the modern day gambling world.

The deal may help Sands win attention in mainland China, where casinos are illegal and casino advertising is also banned. Soccer is hugely popular in China.

Details about what the partnership will look like over the long-term are scarce. Sands says it will use the Beckham brand in dining and retail options at its casinos.