ACMA clamps down on CS:GO skins betting site
Regulator issues formal warning to Feral Holdings Limited and removes its site from Australia for providing prohibited gambling services
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has given Feral Holdings Limited a formal warning and removed its CS:GO Roll site from Australia following an investigation.
The regulator found that the site was providing casino-style online games, which are illegal under the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 if there is money or something of value is played for.
CS:GO Roll allows players to deposit skins (cosmetic items) from the popular first-person shooter (FPS) Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) in exchange for in-game coins that can be used to play casino-style games.
The winnings from these games would be paid out in the form of skins, which could be converted into real-money using a third-party platform.
The skins in question are used to change the appearance of in-game characters and can be won or awarded by playing the game itself, by buying them from an in-game marketplace or via third-party websites.
ACMA chair Nerida O’Loughlin said that gambling sites need to abide by Australia’s gambling laws, even if the site uses virtual items instead of traditional currency.
O’Loughlin said: “Providing casino-style games online is prohibited in Australia when playing for money or something of value, whether that’s Australian dollars, cryptocurrency or, in this case, online gaming skins.
“Skins gambling services are particularly concerning as they tap into a youth market and have the potential to convert gamers into gamblers,” she added.