Valve has banned around 40 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) traders linked to gambling sites, essentially wiping out over £1.5m ($2m) worth of in-game trade items.
As spotted by Dexerto (via PC Gamer
Whilst Valve has yet to comment on whether or not the bans were connected to the details revealed in the spreadsheet, it seems as though all but one of the accounts leaked on the spreadsheet have now been banned.
The owner of CSGORoll has vehemently denied the accusations, saying it was only when it announced its most recent partnership that “brutal, sinister, and callous attacks” were levelled at the organisation.
“I own a gamified skins trading platform, by law, this is not classified as a casino in our largest markets because we do not offer cash withdrawals,” the owner explained.
Potentially tens of millions of dollars in CS skins are being banned right now, as anyone who sold skins through gambling sites may be at risk. Many top traders tied to gambling are selling their assets
Gotta wait and see the total amounts banned once the dust all settles pic.twitter.com/ZW5aVrndUR
— Jake Lucky (@JakeSucky) June 29, 2023
“Contracted skins suppliers are not allowed to play games on the platform, thus we can legally pay them crypto for their skins to always ensure that we have a liquid marketplace. This was all checked by lawyers years ago, and we keep ourselves up to date on modern regulations to always make sure that we are compliant with the law.”
According to PC Gamer, the ban has unsettled other traders who have used either Roll or Empire, prompting widespread everything-must-go CS:GO items sales.
ICYMI, CS:GO once again smashed its all-time concurrent PC user peak, topping 1.8m concurrent users in mid-May.
This not only smashes its own simultaneous user record, but cements CS:GO as one of Steam’s biggest games.
Ever.