“We are aware that you are operating one of the gambling sites listed below”, it states.
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Valve is directing gambling sites tied to Steam to stop using accounts for commercial purposes. Instead, Valve is using the Steam subscriber agreement itself, broadening the net and reducing the chance of any workarounds. The suit complained that Valve did not do enough to prevent such activities from happening because the middleman abilities or the use of Steam API was not restricted enough. Your commercial use of Steam accounts is unlicensed and in violation of the SA.
Valve grants site operators ten days to shut down, after which it warns it will “pursue all available remedies including without limitation terminating your accounts”.
Valve’s ongoing crackdown on skin gambling appears to span all types of products, including the popular skin-based esports betting site CSGO Lounge.
Gambling for in-game items-something like Counter-Strike weapon skins-might sound innocent, but it is in fact quietly a huge industry. You are using Steam accounts to conduct this business.
Time will tell whether the CS:GO gambling sites will comply with Valve’s cease and desist orders.
The Counter-Strike community has been under heavy fire after many stories of YouTubers promoting illegal gambling, not disclosing sponsorships to viewers, and other shady acts.
When Valve announced that it was pushing back on gambling sites, however, a number of them announced that they would be changing how they operated. However, there are one or two sites missing from the list, including CSGO Shuffle so Valve’s work might not be done just yet. The reason for this is unknown, as Twitch has declined to comment on the move and Varga himself has been silent. It’s entirely possible. We will keep you updated in the coming weeks as the story continues to develop.
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The letters are being sent out by Valve’s General Counsel/lawyer Karl Quackenbush.
