Ako confirmed the team cannot use its name or logo in Singapore and blamed local law, not Valve, as up to five teams wait for approval of new branding.
BC.Game will not play the PGL Major Singapore under their own name. The team’s chief executive, Ali “Ako” Muhanned, confirmed on X on Friday afternoon that the organisation has submitted an alternative and is waiting for an answer.
“Yes we are not allowed to use our logo and name due to regulations in singapore, it´s not valve. And i knew this long time ago!” Ako wrote, adding that he had “submitted something”.
He went further in a statement to iGaming Business:
As CEO, it’s my responsibility to make sure we follow the rules, and that’s exactly what we’ll continue to do. We’ve submitted an alternative team name and are now waiting to hear back from Valve and PGL.
Who is affected
The rule is not BC.Game’s problem alone. The first report, from the Russian Telegram channel Baza Kibersporta, said gambling-linked teams without a licence in Singapore had been given a day to replace their names, logos and stickers. iGaming Business reported that all teams will have to hide gambling sponsors, but that four teams carry a gambling brand in the name itself. Dust2.us adds Imperial, whose Gamdom logo Valve removed from the Budapest Major stickers in 2025.
| Team | Starts in | Named by |
|---|---|---|
 BC.Game | Stage 1 | iGB, Dust2.us |
 PARIVISION | Stage 1 | iGB, Dust2.us |
 Imperial | Stage 1 | Dust2.us |
 1win | Stage 2 | iGB, Dust2.us |
 BetBoom | Stage 3 | iGB, Dust2.us |
Neither PGL nor Valve has published the rule or commented on it publicly. The Major’s supplemental rulebook from Valve says nothing about gambling brands.
Why Singapore is different
Under Section 85 of Singapore’s Gambling Control Act 2022, promoting unlicensed gambling includes sponsorship and brand-sharing deals that put a gambling brand on show at an event. Singapore Pools is the only operator licensed to offer online betting in the country, and none of the brands above is licensed there.
The teams have been through this before. iGaming Business pointed out that BetBoom are playing IEM Beijing as “BB Team”, and gambling-owned teams also changed names at The International in Shanghai this summer.
What name BC.Game will use
Ako did not say what he submitted. The guess since Thursday has been GODSENT: a Ukrainian Telegram channel claimed s1mple’s team could appear under the Swedish brand, which went bankrupt in 2025. Ako was GODSENT’s chief executive before he ran BC.Game, Dust2.us noted, but nobody has confirmed a deal.
The Major runs from 24 November to 13 December at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
