Skin Gambling Explained in Esports
There are more than a billion individuals that play games around the world. Seven hundred million of those are playing online games, and many of them are playing professionally. However, its growing player base thought of increasing their gaming experience by gambling, like skin betting.
Read on to know more about eSports item and skin gambling.
Skin Gambling Explained
Skin betting or gambling is a type of eSports betting where players use skins as money to gamble. Bettors mostly wager on the result of a professional eSport match. Some try their luck on other games of chance like roulette or coinflip. Players can either win real money or different skins that may be rarer than the ones they own.
Game skins alter a player’s character or the special items they use in-game. These items are only for cosmetic purposes and don’t affect anything in-game. Players can get these cosmetics by either buying them, unlocking them through achievements, or getting them at special events. Various sites offer bettors to use skins in gambling, and the process of playing is very straightforward.
Bettors first need to log in to the eSports betting sites and transfer the skin to the betting site. Some websites require them to exchange the skin for the site’s currency. However, some let the punters use the skins and give them a price equal to the skin’s rarity. From there, the players either win and collect their prize or loss and get nothing.
Common Games You Can Skin Bet On
According to Gaming Shift, there are 1,181,019 video games right now. However, people do not play all of them, and not all are eSports games. More so, not all eSports games have skins or items that can be gambled. Among the eSports games with skins that can be used in skin betting are:
1. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
It is most popularly known as CS: GO, which is a first-person shooter multiplayer eSports game. The game was developed and released in 2012 by a company called Valve and Hidden Path Entertainment. Although it will be a decade-old next year, the game is still popular and well-loved by new and old players.
The game popularized skins and skin betting when the developers released an update in 2013 called Arms Deal Update. The update opened the possibility of decorating an item and buying, collecting, selling, and trading them. Players can also get skins from the loot boxes through the gameplay.
2. PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds
Launched in 2017, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, also called PUBG, is a battle-royale-inspired online multiplayer game. The gist of the game is simple. Players are airdropped on a map to fight until a player or group of players called squad remains.
Like CS: GO, PUBG skin betting uses weapon skins. Moreover, players can get the skins from the loot boxes they get from winning.
3. DOTA 2
Released in 2013, DOTA 2 thrust the multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) type of video game in the limelight. Valve developed the game and was based on Blizzard Entertainment's Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos expansion pack, The Frozen Throne.
The game is played by ten players that are split into two equal teams. Each team has a base they need to protect, and a team will win when they destroy their enemy’s base. Players will pick a character or hero from the game’s vast collection, and each hero has specific skills.
Whether they win or lose, players can get skins with varying rarity. They can also get skins by buying them in-game or through DOTA 2 events.
The Legality of Skin Betting
Using skins or items in eSports games for gambling has been around for years and has become a massive industry. However, its legality is still questioned, and it got different responses, especially with CS:GO skin betting.
A lawsuit was filed in Connecticut for starters, stating that Valve knowingly started illegal gambling with the skins. The case also cited the potential gambling by minors, and the company benefits from trades happening when skins are won. More lawsuits followed this one and stated the same case.
After the second lawsuit, Valve took action. The company denounces any third-party websites that use Steam as a way a bettor can log in and play. It says that these sites are breaching the subscriber agreement policy of Steam.
Since then, Valve has taken further steps in limiting third-party websites to have access to Steam and closed some websites. However, new sites have resurfaced and made skin gambling more elusive.
Some government bodies have also voiced their opinions about skin gambling in general. For example, the Gambling Commission of the United Kingdom did an investigation. The investigation yielded a lack of security against minors participating in skin-gambling.
eSports has become a force to be reckoned with, and so is skin betting. Although there is not enough data on the worth of it today, skin betting is still thriving. It is a fun way to get real money or new skins. However, it is wise to remember the legality that surrounds this kind of betting.
