Epic Poker League provide sponsor rules
In poker, like most other sports and entertainment groups, sponsorship is big business. The top players can pick up some great endorsements that provide them with a great deal of money and they in turn provide a great deal of exposure to the companies backing them. With the Epic Poker League securing television rights, the importance of sponsors for players becomes even more important because they will be able to get the company image and logos on TV with greater regularity. This is why the Epic Poker League has issued a set of strict guidelines which aim to lay out exactly what players can and cannot have on their clothing when they play.
Some things are a definite no-no
Hard alcohol, pornography, weapons and illegal gambling sites are all banned from being sponsors for players during the Epic Poker League and it is not as if many people will have a problem with this. Even though poker is a game for adults, many youngsters are likely to watch the TV shows or follow online feeds so preventing them from being exposed to these firms has to be considered a positive aspect.
Dating sites may also be banned
There is also likely to be a ban on the majority of dating sites and this appears to be coming from some form of morality angle. There will be some who will raise an eyebrow at this and claim that poker is hardly the first place that should be telling others about morality but there is clearly a sliding scale. Some dating websites are above board and do a great job in bringing people together but there are also some sites that appear to be aimed at the seedier end of the market. It is these sites that are likely to be removed from use during the Epic Poker League.
There are also guidelines laid out for the final table with no more than 4 players being allowed to promote the same site. Even with this in mind, if more than player sponsors the same site, the logos must be of a different colour and distinctly different enough to tell them apart. Whether this is to help the players stand out or to ensure that no one firm manages to monopolise the look and image of the final is unclear. However, the rules are easy enough to follow and shouldn’t cause an issue. After all, companies are always very creative when it comes to promoting their goods or services so it should be possible to find new ways to market themselves.