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Valve Threatens Counter Strike Gambling Sites (hngn.com)
An anonymous Slashdot reader quotes a report from HNGN: Game maker Valve is threatening to shut down sites dedicated to gambling with add-ons to its popular Counter Strike game. On Thursday the company sent cease and desist letters to 23 sites, demanding that gambling operations be stopped, and that the sites had 10 days to comply. The row revolves around the software overlays that change the appearance of the characters people play in Counter Strike: Global Offensive (CSGO) and the weapons and other virtual items. Last week the company reiterated that its user agreements ban external sites from asking users to connect their Steam accounts in order to trade items for real money. The company added that it would use "all available remedies" against sites that did not stop players using virtual goods to gamble.
Bloomberg reports that in June a class action lawsuit was filed against Valve "for its role in the multibillion-dollar gambling economy that has fueled the game's popularity" -- by a man who had been gambling on the site since 2014. This was followed in July by a second class action lawsuit by a mother on behalf of her son, reports ESPN. "The case alleges that the Valve knowingly allows and profits from teenagers participating in illegal, unregulated and underage gambling of in-game cosmetic weapon skins through third-party sites."
Bloomberg reports that in June a class action lawsuit was filed against Valve "for its role in the multibillion-dollar gambling economy that has fueled the game's popularity" -- by a man who had been gambling on the site since 2014. This was followed in July by a second class action lawsuit by a mother on behalf of her son, reports ESPN. "The case alleges that the Valve knowingly allows and profits from teenagers participating in illegal, unregulated and underage gambling of in-game cosmetic weapon skins through third-party sites."
Well, Gambling is almost universally illegal for minors... sooo yes? If they wanted to go legit, they could require mandatory CC authorization for all users. Some minors will have parents shower them with cards, but the majority won't. Problem solved. Next problem, tons of CC's leaked based on DISREPUTABLE gambling sites stealing CC info / CVC's for crime, etc..
Bye!
They wouldn't be able to make fucktons of money off of cosmetics in TF2 and shitty mspaint reskins in CS:GO if everyone could just hop on FPSBanana and download whatever amazing custom model they wanted.
A bullet may have your name on it but splash damage is addressed "To whom it may concern."
> The problem is most of these sites are scam sites.
It's not just "these sites". Must gambling businesses are subtle or outright frauds. Even state lotteries take an enormous cut of the proceeds to fund the lottery bureaucracy itself, and not to help the schools as promised. The schools have their funding _replced_ by lottery winnings, not augmented. Even the "honest casinos" forbid card counters, whose behavior is technically legal but can actually allow players to win in the long run, not just the short run.
The same problems exist in the stock market. Additional information is forbidden to the ordinary player, but those with additional information can and inevitably do play illicitly. And at the scales available to the larger cheaters, it sucks the possibility of profit right out of the system for ordinary players. Take a very good look at how "high speed trading" works to get a sense of how much of stock market funds are sucked right out of the business by larger companies that can afford the "insider information' that a few microseconds of lead time on stock announcements provides.
It's not just "these sites".
These are the bottom feeding scum though.
Must gambling businesses are subtle or outright frauds
No, not really. Gambling businesses don't need to cheat or commit fraud to win. That's built into the business. A slot machine in Vegas is a ripoff; but its exactly the ripoff it discloses itself to be. And its independently tested to make sure it pays out exactly the odds it says on the label.
These gaming gambling sites take all the advantages that are built into being a gambling business... and then they just outright cheat. Rig games for insiders or themselves. Lie outright about the odds. Etc.
Oh... and they not only let kids play, they market the sites them *directly*.
At the very least they need to be cleaned up (regulated) so that they rise to the level of legitimate gambling sites.
Take a very good look at how "high speed trading" works to get a sense of how much of stock market funds are sucked right out of the business by larger companies that can afford the "insider information' that a few microseconds of lead time on stock announcements provides.
That's really a separate discussion. But you are right, and its pretty easy to measure. Every dollar an HFT trader/algorithm extracts in profit is a dollar taken away from the retail buyer and seller. Every single dollar they make is essentially stolen in my opinion.
But again, nothing to do with gambling in general or steam in particular.
The CS:GO skins doesn't let you change the look of your character (except for the weapon) and no other items than the weapon. CS:GO skins are weapons (with stickers) only.
Team Fortress 2 mean-while let you change other parts of your character beyond weapons.
Also Team Fortress 2 alternative weapons / skins / items may actually change how the weapon work. In CS:GO it's all just cosmetic and doesn't influence game-play at all.