CS: GO Gambling: How It Works

If you play Counter-Strike: Global Offensive , then you’re no stranger to skins. But did you know those skins can be used as poker chips? Gambling has found a home within the CS: GO community. Third party companies have set up websites that allow you to hand over skins for virtual poker chips (coins).

I could quickly become addicted to their ingenious system.  I traded in four items for a measly 1.50 coins, but two lucky roulette guesses could turn that into enough coins to buy a very rare skin. What makes that so addictive? Some skins can be sold online for real money. With luck, I could turn four common items into 50 USD.

CS: GO gambling has a unique allure. The third-party websites feel like an extension of CS: GO with communities of over 10,000 active users. Most sites have live chats, which add credibility and liven it up.

How to Play

First, decide on a legitimate CSGO betting website that you will gamble in. You can sign up for more than one site if you wish.

Gambling with them is as easy as registering, depositing your items, and selecting your favorite color on the roulette wheel or pulling the arm of the slot machine. You may need to change the settings in your Steam account to make your inventory public.

So, what’s the Catch?

Two class action lawsuits have been filed against these services because they exist in a legal gray area. Since it is all done online and there is no real money involved on the website, universal gambling laws do not apply. This lack of regulation became clear to me instantly.

CS: GO gambling took me less than five minutes to set up, never asked my age, and held my hand throughout the process. In other words, I have no idea who owns the site, and they have no idea how old I am.  Yikes.

Just How Unregulated is it?

Keep in mind that they have no obligation to disclose your odds of winning and they know it. Since they do not have to follow the standard gambling laws, they technically exist in a big loophole. It's like the private server of gambling, whoever owns the server (in this case, website) dictates the rules.

You may be wondering who oversees these websites so here’s what we know:

1.    Their Terms of Service are judged by the European Union.

2.    Online gambling is a major controversy in the EU.

3.    According to the EU Commission, “…it is not possible for Member States to effectively address these challenges alone and to provide individually a properly regulated and sufficiently safe offer of online gambling services.”

They do not yet know how to regulate online gambling in the EU. Until they figure it out, it’s like the Wild West. Site owners are themselves gambling with the law. In 2015, three individuals were each fined 24,000 EUR for operating an online gambling website yet hundreds of other sites go unseen or are ignored.

The Odds May not be in your Favor.

Some of these sites are owned by YouTubers and Twitch streamers who openly promote skin gambling. Those guys and gals have gained massive profits from this unregulated industry. So while you might win big, remember not to get carried away. Your loss is their gain.  

If you are considering CS: GO gambling, here are some tips:

•    Only play casually

•    The only way to guarantee you’ll win is to own the site

•    Don’t spend any real money

•    Know that it could become illegal