World Cup

What is World Cup?

The report singled out several marketing tactics which had been flagged as particuarly concerning.

The first was direct marketing (emails, texts, push notifications). Citing randomised studies, the committee noted that limiting direct marketing resulted in reduced betting and fewer short-term harms. 

Referencing an Australian study on direct marketing and its link to gambling harms, Dr Philip Newall, senior lecturer at the University of Bristol noted that “causality was established by getting a random subset of participants to opt-out of receiving direct marketing offers”.

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Two banner ads promoted a “100% match bonus up to £100 on 1st deposit” and displayed the mandatory 18+ logo. The ads appeared alongside live match coverage featuring betting odds and sponsor logos, including a link to Casimba’s website. 

A complaint suggested that such placements were inappropriately targeted at under-18s.

White Hat Gaming paused the ads during the investigation and argued that HLTV’s audience is primarily adult and focused on professional competitive gaming rather than casual play, which tends to attract minors. 

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Within its investigation Black Cube named a number of Evolution employees which it had interviewed and reported to have provided information on the company that supported the intelligence firm’s claims.

An interview carried out by Black Cube with CEO of games developer Ezugi Kfir Kugler had allegedly confirmed that Evolution knowingly provided games in markets sanctioned by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement.

Spectrum conducted follow-up interviews with these employees who had “provided derogatory information relating to Evolution’s business practices”.