Gambling-owned esports teams reportedly told to rebrand for PGL Major Singapore under local ad laws
Teams tied to gambling brands, including BC.GAME, 1win Esports, BETBOOM and PARIVISION, were reportedly told to drop gambling names and logos for the Singapore Counter-Strike 2 Major. BC.GAME says it has submitted a new name.
GamblingSource: iGaming Business
Several esports teams with gambling companies in their names or branding have reportedly been asked to rebrand at short notice ahead of the PGL Major Singapore 2026. The Counter-Strike 2 tournament runs from 24 November to 13 December and is expected to draw concurrent viewership in the millions.
According to the reports, every team with a gambling sponsor must hide that sponsor. Four teams, BC.GAME, 1win Esports, BETBOOM and PARIVISION, are thought to be hit hardest because their whole organisation names reference gambling brands. They are among several teams owned and run directly by offshore iGaming businesses that have appeared on esports circuits in recent years. Teams were reportedly given 24 hours to change names, logos and in-game stickers to stay within Singapore's gambling advertising rules.
The news first emerged from the Russian-language Telegram channel Esports Base. It has not been independently verified by organiser PGL or Counter-Strike developer Valve, and iGB has asked PGL for comment. BC.GAME told iGB it has submitted a new name and is awaiting a response from PGL and Valve. Chief executive Ali Muhanned said the organisation knew of the restrictions on gambling branding in countries where it is unlicensed, respects the rules and sees no reason to challenge them.
Singapore only permits online gambling through Singapore Pools, which offers fixed-odds sports betting and lottery games. Section 85 of the Gambling Control Act 2022 prohibits promotion of unlicensed gambling, explicitly covering sponsorship and brand-sharing arrangements, including the display of gambling brands at events.
There is precedent for such changes. At IEM Beijing, which concludes on 8 November, BetBoom competes as BB Team. At The International Dota 2 tournament in August, 1win played as Team Iron Wing. In football, Inter Milan played Champions League games against Real Madrid and Feyenoord without Betsson.Sport branding, and Unibet donated its FC Copenhagen shirt sponsorship to the Danish Red Cross for away games in Spain.
Journalist Ollie Ring said the rebrand should not be a shock for teams used to competing where gambling sponsorship is barred, but argued PGL should have told teams of their obligations far earlier given Singapore's strict stance.
The episode illustrates the compliance risks for operators expanding in cross-border esports. Valve's games have long allowed gambling sponsors, while Riot Games reversed its ban last year, though it must vet and approve any gambling partnership.
Based on reporting by iGaming Business.