The Ongoing Assault on Gambling by Twitch: Prohibition of CSGO Skin Gambling Sponsorships

The ongoing assault on gambling by Twitch continues with the company’s announcement that it will prohibit gambling sponsorships for the video game Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CSGO).

Twitch Updates Community Guidelines to Cover CS: GO Skin Gambling

Twitch has recently revised the conditions of the Community Guidelines that may be found on its website to cover CS: GO skin gambling.

In answer to a user who questioned whether or not skins gambling was permitted on the platform, Twitch responded with, “No, the promotion or sponsorship of skins gambling is prohibited under the terms of our policy.”

The Growing Concerns Around CS: GO Skin Gambling

The concept of betting on CS: GO skins has been around for a long time and is common among streamers and players of the game. Even though just sponsorships are prohibited on the platform now, this may be the first step toward future action against a largely uncontrolled area.

A “new player” recently gained access to a 387 Pattern Blue Gem Karambit skin worth over $100,000. In a separate incident, one of the most popular streamers in the world, Dr. Disrespect, opened an M9 Bayonet skin called a Doppler made of Factory New Sapphire and estimated to be worth up to $20,000 at the time of its release.

The Need for Control and Regulation

In addition to the two examples above, there have been many streams by creators in which the creators spend an incalculable amount of money opening CS: GO cases in the hope of obtaining rich skin. It is an example of something that needs to be improved when streamer ohnePixel spent $130,000 on cases but only got $4,000 worth of returns from those cases. It is eventually bringing attention to something essentially gambling. Still, there is no real control or regulation over what can become an obsessive habit for gamers and end in losing thousands of dollars, if not more.