Over £5b Worth of Gaming Skins Were Bet Illegally in 2015

Gambling sites are a huge problem for many, with anyone and everyone being able to pop online and place a bet. With betting now available on hundreds of professional gaming events, unlicensed gambling sites are letting children bet millions.

Many sites will now let you trade different pieces of digital goods, such as skins or items, many of which can be won or bought with either in-game currency or for many, real money. The problem is many sites have been letting people bet these, without even checking their ages.

This means that people could trade anything from a skin for their favourite gun to the new armour you’ve recently won, with a total of £5 billion bet last year the market is larger than most people realised. With the major sites allowing betting on Dota 2, League of Legends and Counter-Strike, it’s estimated that a third of CS:GOLounge bets were in fact under 18, with it estimated that almost £12 million was bet last year by those under 18.

The gambling commission is worried by this news, with it concerned that sites are running in the UK without an operating license. Valve, the company behind Counter-Strike, is looking to stop “skin” betting with legal action taken against sites and companies with sites like CS:GO Lounge closing down after a cease and desist letter. Of course, there are other sites still out there for now.