Valve in hot water for Counter-Strike gambling

Valve, publishers of the massively popular Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, are being sued for allowing an “illegal online gambling market” reports Polygon.

The lawsuit alleges that Valve “knowingly allowed … and has been complicit in creating, sustaining and facilitating [a] market” where players and third-parties trade weapon skins like casino chips.

The lawsuit filed on behalf of Connecticut resident Michael John McLeod alleges that Valve and third-party sites (CSGO Diamonds, CSGO Lounge and OPSkins) “knowingly allowed, supported, and/or sponsored illegal gambling by allowing millions of Americans to link their individual Steam accounts to third- party websites.”

Through those websites, the suit says, skins for CS:GO, which can be purchased from Valve, “can … easily be traded and used as collateral for bets.”

Furthermore the suit alleges, that Valve directly profits from transactions tied to gambling.

At the time of writing, Valve has yet to offer comment.

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