BEATING THE BLACK MARKET
will explore how Simon Sinek´s game theory offers a fresh perspective and a strategic approach to this reality.
streaming platforms such as Netflix. Its refusal to adapt to new technologies led to bankruptcy. 2 In his book The Infinite Game , Sinek goes further and identifies five essential practices for those who wish to play the infinite game successfully: a Just Cause (a compelling vision that goes beyond short-term objectives), Trusting Teams (building collaborative ecosystems rather than siloed enforcement), Worthy Rivals (studying what others do better as a source of continuous improvement), Existential Flexibility (the willingness to fundamentally change strategy when the current one no longer serves the cause), and the Courage to Lead (prioritizing long-term goals over short-term political or public pressure). 3 These five practices, when considered together, provide a structured framework that can be transposed to any field where the challenge is not about winning a single battle but about sustaining a long-term strategy against an adaptive adversary. Nevertheless, and this is where such a theory can also have an impact. Its transposition to the Gaming Industry, and, more specifically, to the black market, has a significant impact and can be seen as a major threat. To play an infinite game means not to cease the problem with a single play but to keep on playing, to learn how battle and deal with the enemy, and in due time, the ultimate result will be the exhaustion of all resources and mechanisms that can circumvent the situation and keep the war alive. Ultimately, this action and mindset will lead to the withdrawal of the weaker player. The finite game: Are regulators playing a finite game? European states use various regulatory and enforcement tools to tackle illegal gambling, aiming to reduce these problems to zero. Most efforts focus on limiting exposure, restricting access, and tight regulatory control. Authorities have been using measures and legal mechanisms such as advertising restrictions, spending caps, ISP blocking, and domain blacklisting. Some jurisdictions aim to attack the enemy through tough advertising policies. In Spain, Royal Decree 958/2020 aimed to restrict gambling advertising, including banning celebrities
The Game Theory: A Simon Sinek perspective Simon Sinek's game theory distinguishes between two types of games: finite and infinite. According to his understanding, finite games are characterised by known players, fixed rules, and a clear endpoint to which winners and losers can be identified. By contrast, in the infinite games, there are no clear winners and losers. What characterises such games is the inclusion of known and unknown players, defined by evolving, open rules, and oriented toward the perpetuation of the game rather than the achievement of a final victory. In his TED Talk, Sinek applied this theory to explain and analyse some of the United States' most well-known geopolitical conflicts, such as the Vietnam War and the Cold War. History and these two examples present a crucial, concrete example of how game theory and playing infinite games can yield positive long-term outcomes. In contrast, finite games can be won, but there is no guarantee that the underlying systems and opposing forces will remain in place in the future, even if with different players. Take Sinek's example: the Vietnam War, a clear case of two main players, North Vietnam and South Vietnam, backed by the US, with different mindsets. The US fought to win, but Vietnam fought to live and would keep fighting as long as needed. The outcome was clear. This incompatibility left the finite player, the US, in an impasse and eventually led it to withdraw from the game. As for the Cold War, a conflict that could pit communist and capitalist countries against each other, the US again had the same mindset: play to win. Although the outcome can be attributed to the US as the victor, over time, we still face the same geopolitical instability, with different players. Moreover, such a theory is also raised by Sinek and is applicable to business companies and the emergence of new technologies. A crucial example of a finite game player is the reality that Blockbuster faced and its failure to adapt to new
2 Moonshots Podcast, ‘Episode 57 - Simon Sinek 5. The Infinite Game. Transcript — Learning Out Loud’ (Podcast, 2025) https://www.moonshots. io/page57-simon-sinek-infinite-game-transcript 3 Simon Sinek, The Infinite Game (Portfolio/Penguin, 2019) https://simonsinek.com/books/the-infinite-game/
IMGL MAGAZINE | MARCH 2026
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