Skin Gambling for CSGO, PUBG and Dota 2

If you’re into esports betting, then the chances are that you’ve come across skin gambling. This is just one of the many ways that you can fund your betting stakes on esports. CSGO skin betting is the most popular form of skin gambling, but many skin betting sites will allow you to use skins to fund your bets on anything from Dota 2 to PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds.

But what are skins in video games, and how does skin betting work? Our guide will tell you all you need to know about skin betting.  You might have heard about the recent CSGO gambling scandal involving skins, so we’ll let you know why skin betting is not safe or legal. So keep reading to how skin gambling works and why you should give it a miss.

What is skin gambling?

Skin gambling means that you bet with virtual in-game items rather than cash. Let’s look at an example from the world of CSGO skin betting.

This first-person shooter features hundreds of skins that include weapons, armour and basic cosmetic items. All of these skins have a real world monetary value. For example an AWP Man-o-War rifle might have more value than a Sand Dune pistol.

Players will then deposit these skins to trade them in for coins at a skin betting site. They will then be able to use these coins to bet on anything from the outcome of a CSGO match to the spin of a roulette wheel. If they win their bets, they’ll get to keep their coins and win more coins. If they lose their bet, they will lose their coins and therefore the value of their skins.

Is skin gambling legal?

While skin gambling is popular, it isn’t strictly legal. This is because skin betting uses virtual currencies which means that it doesn’t count as gambling. As skin betting doesn’t count as gambling, it therefore doesn’t fall under the jurisdiction of online gaming authorities.

This basically means that you’ll get nothing in the way of customer protection when you visit skin gambling sites. But don’t worry as we can show you some excellent ways to enjoy esports betting with real money that are safe and perfectly legal.

Are skin gambling sites legit?

It will just take a quick internet search for something like ‘CSGO skin betting’ to find a range of skin gambling sites. Some of the most popular sites include the likes of CSGOEmpire, CSGOFast and FarmSkins.

While these are popular, many of them are unlicensed and therefore not safe. The lack of licensing means that there’s no guarantee that you’ll get a safe and fair way to bet online. Thankfully there are many licensed esports bookmakers like GG.Bet that give you many legit ways to bet on your favourite games with real money.

Plus many bookmakers now offer you new ways to bet on esports. These include the likes of DraftKings which allows customers in the US to play fantasy CSGO. We should also mention the likes of the Unikrn UMode that gives you a chance to bet on your own gameplay, or you could even enjoy betting on streamers. All of which will be much more enjoyable and certainly a lot safer  than getting involved with skin gambling.

All about the CSGO lotto scandal

If you want a good way to see why CSGO skin betting isn’t legit, then just take a look at the CSGO Lotto Scandal. This saw two YouTube gamers known as TmarTn and Syndicate Project promoting a CSGO gambling site called CSGO Lotto where they won large prizes by betting with skins. However, it emerged that both of these gamers were the presidents of the CSGO Lotto company. Such dodgy dealings are feared to be just the tip of the iceberg of these skin betting sites.

What games are on skin betting sites?

While Counter Strike and skin betting go hand in hand, the skin betting phenomenon now includes many other popular esports. This means that Dota 2 skin betting has become increasingly widespread and PUBG skin gambling is also fairly common. However, it’s worth noting that regular esports betting sites will offer you the chance to bet on way more games in many markets such as the UK and Italy with real money. Plus sites like this even give you chance to play CSGO-themed slot games and win real money prizes.

Advantages of skin gambling

• No real money deposits – The main reason why people visit skin gambling sites is the fact that they won’t have to make a real money deposit to play. This unfortunately means that many people who are below the legal gambling age will try skin gambling.
• Anonymous betting – Because you don’t have to make a real money deposit, there is also no real need for you to have to confirm your identity. This has a benefit of allowing you to anonymously sign up to the betting site and not have the details of any real money deposits showing up on your bank statement.

Disadvantages of skin betting

• No licensing – Most skin gambling sites are unlicensed which means that there are no guarantees that you’ll be safe or given a fair gambling experience.
• Match fixing – The CSGO Lotto scandal highlighted the fact that skin gambling and match fixing go hand in hand.
• Judging skin values – The value of skins can fluctuate wildly which makes it hard to know how much you’re betting with.