Counter-Strike skins site to apply for gambling licence

CSGO Lounge, the biggest skins betting site relating to video game Counter-Strike, has announced plans to apply for a gambling licence.

CSGO Lounge was recently named in a US lawsuit relating to allegations of illegal gambling against developer Valve Software. In response to that suit Valve issued a cease and desist letter to CSGO Lounge and other websites, barring them from using Valve’s API within 10 days.

While continuing to protest that it is not an illegal gambling site, CSGO Lounge said that it will comply with gambling laws in various countries by limiting access in places where betting with unlicensed sites is forbidden.

In a statement, CSGO claimed that virtual items in games CS:GO and Dota2 have no monetary value and any community interaction with the virtual items “is meant only for entertainment, without any profit interest”.

It said that in the wake of the cease and desist letter from Valve, it was forced to “make a decision on how to proceed with Lounges as a community and entertainment service”.

The statement added: “We have decided to acquire a license to legally operate in most of the countries and be able to accept the esports bets by our community, as if it would be real money.”

Related article: Games giant Valve bars $7.4bn skins gambling market