CS:GO Skin Betting Banned: Skin Betting Sites (or “Roulette Sites”, “Crash Sites”, “Gambling Sites”) for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) have been under a lot of critique for creating unnecessary gambling habits amongst young adults. We’ll try to answer the question of whether sites like CSGORoll, WTFSkins, Farmskins, etc will still be operating after the CS2 release.
Table of Contents
The History of CSGO Skin Sites
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) was released by Valve in 2012 and quickly became one of the most popular Esports titles. In 2013, Valve introduced cosmetic skins into the game (for micro-transaction purposes) that could be earned through gameplay or purchased on the Steam marketplace.
This led to the rise of CS:GO skin betting sites in 2016. These unregulated sites allowed players to deposit their skins and gamble them on various games like coin flips, roulette, jackpot, and more. The sites were very popular, with some reporting over $2 billion in transactions in 2016. And with that, opportunists came knocking…
The Controversy
However, several controversies arose around CS:GO skin gambling. Some YouTube influencers were found to be owners of skin betting sites they promoted without disclosing their ownership. There were also instances of rigged betting and underage gambling.
In 2016, Valve started issuing cease and desist letters to many skin gambling sites, leading to the closure of big names like CSGOLounge. They claimed these sites were illegally using Steam accounts and inventory systems, nor paying taxes and flat-out ignoring Privacy Policies.
CS2 Skin Betting Rumours
Now with Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) expected to release after the summer of 2023 (and CS2 betting becoming a new thing), the big question is whether skin betting will continue as normal or not. There are rumors that Valve plans to possibly integrate a regulated skin betting feature directly into CS2 to have more control.
However, Valve has not made any official announcements about CS2 skins or betting as of writing. The extent to which Valve will allow and regulate skin betting in the new game, therefore, remains to be seen.
Regulated & Safe CS2 Skin Betting Sites
If Valve allows regulated skin betting for CS2, it could help address issues like underage gambling and fraud that plagued previous unregulated CS:GO sites. Potentially, officially licensed CS2 skin betting sites could implement strict KYC age verification, transparency around odds, and other responsible gambling features.
This could provide a safer environment for those who wish to engage in skin betting. Of course, unlicensed and unregulated CS2 skin gambling sites may still emerge. Players should exercise caution and only use regulated sites if they choose to engage in CS2 skin betting.
We recommend these sites for safe CS2 Skin Betting:
| Site | Bonus Code | Go-To |
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CS2BETTINGEU |
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CS2BETTINGEU |
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CS2BETTINGEU |
*Deals checked: 9th January 2025 | New customers only | Commercial content | 18+ age limit | begambleaware.org | T&Cs apply
Conclusion - CS:GO Skin Betting Banned
The future of CS2 skin betting depends largely on Valve’s approach. Complete bans seem unlikely, but strict regulation and control over skin betting could be implemented to avoid a repeat of the CS:GO controversies. If Valve takes a hands-off approach again, the same issues around unregulated CS2 skin gambling sites may resurface.
Responsible players should hope for reasonable regulation that provides a safe environment while allowing adults to engage in CS2 skin betting if they desire. However, there are still many unknowns and players should proceed with caution when real money is involved.
Watch this video of two influential YouTubers talking about the issues with CS:GO Gambling sites: