Valve to take action against CS:GO gambling sites

Valve has announced that it is taking steps to curb CS:GO gambling sites. Such sites, according to Valve, violate the rules for using the api of in-game trading. The sites have been around for a while, but so far the Steam developer hasn’t done anything.

According to Valve, the gambling sites are in violation because they create automated accounts that make the same web calls via the API as individual users. According to the maker of Steam, that is against both the rules of the api and the conditions for using Steam.

Valve will ask CS:GO gambling sites to stop operating and is considering legal action if they refuse. “Users should consider this information when managing their in-game items and trading activities,” said Valve.

On CS:GO sites, Steam users can gamble with weapon skins from Counterstrike, something that has been possible since Valve created an API for trading in-game items in 2011. The CS:GO gambling sites have recently been in the news as they have to defend themselves in a lawsuit against allegations that they promote gambling to minors. Two popular YouTube vloggers were found to own a gambling site that they promoted in their own videos, without mentioning that they were involved with the company. The plaintiffs also mention Valve in that lawsuit, because the developer would encourage “illegal gambling”.