E-sports gambling has become popular, the US government intervenes, but Steam does not listen
In recent years, e-sports has become more and more popular in the world, and the emergence of related gaming sites has followed. Take for example the current most popular competitive games, including: DOTA2, LOL, and CS: GO, all of which have related double-digit gaming sites. And as the flow of third-party gaming sites grew, it also attracted the attention of the Washington State Gaming Commission and issued a severe condemnation.
Gambling is an illegal act prohibited in most states in the United States. However, with the development of science and technology, there are more and more means of intersection between people, and an emerging gambling method is beginning to prevail.
The annual DOTA2 International Invitational Tournament (Ti) is also a carnival for major Dota2 betting sites. From wild card games, group games, bubble games, to the final semifinals and finals, you can bet on every game, using the jewelry in the game as a bargaining chip, and the single game can reach 6 digits. In addition to Ti, DOTA2’s other small professional leagues are also a time when the betting site is busy. For example, the Nanyang Cup, major tournaments, etc., betting sites have related items for players to bet on. The most frightening thing is that because the supervision of small games is not strict, some bookmakers will earn profits by manipulating the results of the games. CS: Similar scandals have been reported in GO, DOTA2 and LOL.
Compared with LOL, DOTA2 and CS: GO have a larger betting scale. This is because the items in the LOL account cannot be traded, and the actual money must be paid to play, which is legally more risky, so few websites dare to cross this mine pool. DOTA2 and CS: GO rely on Vavle. With Steam ’s OpenID function, players can authorize betting sites to directly trade their props, which wisely avoids government censorship. This is why Steam games have become the hardest hit area for e-sports gaming .
According to the Washington State Gaming Commission to Valve, since February of this year, the skin of CS: GO has been used as a bargaining chip in the circulation of major third-party betting websites. The transaction pipeline is as high as 1 billion US dollars.
