The Washington State Gambling Commission made its position clear to Valve, formally notifying the company that it must immediately end the transfer of skins for gambling activities through the company’s Steam Platform, which saw CS:GO Lounge bring in approximately $1 billion in “skin” gambling alone between January-August, according to the report.
“In Washington, and everywhere else in the United States, skins betting on eSports remains a large, unregulated black market for gambling,” said Washington State Gambling Commissioner Chris Stearns. “And that carries great risk for the players who remain wholly unprotected in an unregulated environment. We are also required to pay attention to and investigate the risk of underage gambling which is especially heightened in the eSports world. It is our sincere hope that Valve will not only comply but also take proactive steps to work with the Commission on future measures that will benefit the public and protect consumers.”
