CS:GO skin gambling and trading site CSGORoll has been withdrawn in Australia following an investigation by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).
CSGORoll’s withdrawal from the Australian market comes just two weeks after its controversial partnership with G2 Esports, which was heavily promoted by its recently-turned 18-year-old CS:GO player Ilya ‘M0nESY’ Osipov.
The ACMA investigation found that CSGORoll was providing ‘casino-style online games’, which is currently illegal under the country’s Interactive Gambling Act 2001.
Alongside being a skin trading platform, CSGORoll allows users to convert in-game items into a currency which can be used on a variety of casino games. Notably, winnings are paid out in the form of skins, which can be converted, via third-party platforms, into real money.
Australia’s Interactive Gambling Act 2001 prohibits casino-style online games if they are played for money or ‘anything else of value’.
The decision continues to highlight the grey area in which skin gambling operates, both within esports and betting. Skin gambling has a long and controversial history in CS:GO due to a litany of sites offering unregulated and underage gambling.
ACMA Chair Nerida O’Loughlin explained the government agency’s decision: “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.”
Alongside CSGORoll’s withdrawal, the site’s parent company Feral Holdings Limited has been given a formal warning.
Earlier this year, some major CS:GO Skin trading sites — including the likes of CS.MONEY and CS.TRADE — launched non-profit Skin Traders Alliance. The alliance aims to create a safe and transparent space for sustainable market development.
