The American video game developer, Valve, has shot back at Washington State’s gambling authorities, after it was publicly accused of facilitating skin gambling for its popular Counter-Strike: Global Offensive game. In a strongly worded letter sent to the Washington State Gambling Commission, Valve’s lawyers said that the group is “not engaged in gambling or the promotion of gambling, and we do not ‘facilitate gambling’.”
Counter Strike: Global Offensive allows players to purchase or win digital items for use in the game, such as virtual weapons, on its Steam site. A number of gambling sites recognized the potential value of these items and therefore allow skin owners to use digital items to place bets on sports games. Valve has come under fire for this practice, even though it has nothing to do with the gambling sites. One of the issues that opponents have is the fact that many Valve skin owners are minors.
In its letter to gambling authorities, Valve reiterated that the operation of Steam and of Counter Strike: Global Offensive was “lawful under Washington law.”
“We were surprised and disappointed that the commission chose to publicly accuse Valve of illegal activity and threaten our employees with criminal charges,” said the group.
As stated in its recent letter, as well as in the past, Valve has said that it has no business relationship with the illegal gambling sites, nor with their operators.
Valve urged the Washington State Gambling Commission to be more specific regarding its threats. “We do not understand the legal or factual position supporting the threatened lawsuit,” read the letter. “If there is a specific criminal statute or regulation you believe Valve is violating please provide a citation.”
In the past, Valve has sent Cease and Desist letters to gambling sites that trade in its items, although the operators have not heeded them or have managed to circumvent them.
Players who have lost money on betting sites after gambling with their Valve items tried to sue the company for their losses but a judge ruled that their was no basis for putting the blame on Valve.
The director of the Washington Gambling Commission said that in the state, as everywhere else in the US, skin betting remains a large and unregulated black market for gambling. He warned that this carried a greater risk for players who remain unprotected in an unregulated environment.
