Cloud9’s primary sponsor, the online casino BC.Game, has been caught in a significant financial scandal. On October 4, 2024, the Curacao court declared the bankruptcy of both Blockdance B.V. and Small House B.V., the entities managing the casino. The primary cause for this legal outcome was their failure to meet financial obligations to customers and breaches in licensing terms.
During the court proceedings, it was revealed that the casino owed players over €2 million. Additionally, Small House B.V. faced a €5 million penalty from Spanish authorities. The investigation also uncovered that after taking control of BC.Game operations in April 2024, Small House B.V. did not uphold its customer commitments.
BC.Game not only served as the title sponsor for Cloud9 but also backed a range of sports ventures, such as Leicester City Football Club, the Argentine national team, and CS2 teams led by Ladislav “GuardiaN” Kovacs and Yegor “markeloff” Markelov. The financial issues of BC.Game could pose serious risks to these partnerships’ sustainability.
For Cloud9, the repercussions are particularly severe since the team relied on BC.Game’s sponsorship for executing significant projects. The loss of this sponsor puts their financial stability at risk, with some analysts already speculating that budget cuts and challenges in meeting international commitments could follow.
Some critics are calling for a reevaluation of sponsorship regulations in esports. Experts suggest that this incident could impact trust in partnerships between esports organizations and their financial backers.
Although BC.Game still holds an active license, the possibility of resuming normal financial operations appears slim. For Cloud9, this situation emphasizes the urgency to seek new sponsorships to avert a financial crisis. Despite these challenges, the team is focusing on its upcoming tournaments and striving to maintain its position as a prominent force in CS2.
This case highlights the esports sector’s vulnerability to sponsor-related financial disruptions, sparking conversations about the industry’s stability and the importance of transparency in sponsorship agreements.
