Popular YouTuber reveals Counter-Strike betting videos were rigged

[Infinitron]

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2...down-on-gambling-sites-offering-in-game-goods

Valve to crack down on gambling sites offering in-game goods
"We have never received any revenue from them."

Valve has promised to crack down on users who offer in-game goods as prizes for gambling sites.

CS:GO Lotto was one such site implicated in a crooked gambling racket using Counter-Strike skins as currency.

Previously, the video game and Steam developer had been implicated in a class action lawsuit for facilitating gambling sites that make their money by offering in-game goods, like $3200 skins, as potential prizes.

Things got even dicier when it was discovered that some of these sites, such as CS:GO Lotto, were rigged with videos of its owners (Trevor "Tmartn" Martin and Tom "Syndicate" Cassell) pretending to have just stumbled upon the site and winning big.

Further complicating matters were the fact that age restrictions could easily be bypassed on these sites, so much of the capital came from minors.

Valve has recently issued a statementclaiming that it wants no part of this black market that arose from the company's enabling players to trade virtual goods. The Steam company stated that it makes no money off the schemers who have gamed the system to launch gambling sites and that it will take action to prevent people from doing this.

"In 2011, we added a feature to Steam that enabled users to trade in-game items as a way to make it easier for people to get the items they wanted in games featuring in-game economies," said Valve's Erik Johnson. "Since then a number of gambling sites started leveraging the Steam trading system, and there's been some false assumptions about our involvement with these sites. We'd like to clarify that we have no business relationships with any of these sites. We have never received any revenue from them. And Steam does not have a system for turning in-game items into real world currency.

"These sites have basically pieced together their operations in two-part fashion. First, they are using the OpenID API as a way for users to prove ownership of their Steam accounts and items. Any other information they obtain about a user's Steam account is either manually disclosed by the user or obtained from the user's Steam Community profile (when the user has chosen to make their profile public). Second, they create automated Steam accounts that make the same web calls as individual Steam users.

"Using the OpenID API and making the same web calls as Steam users to run a gambling business is not allowed by our API nor our user agreements. We are going to start sending notices to these sites requesting they cease operations through Steam, and further pursue the matter as necessary. Users should probably consider this information as they manage their in-game item inventory and trade activity."

It's not exactly apparent what Valve means by "further pursue the matter as necessary", but it's clear that Valve means business here.

 

[Dawkinsfan69]

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2...down-on-gambling-sites-offering-in-game-goods

but it's clear that Valve means business here.

Yeah okay lol

 

[gaussgunner]

"In 2011, we added a feature to Steam that enabled users to trade in-game items"
...
Valve has recently issued a statement claiming that it wants no part of this black market

Let me get this straight.
In 2011 you hadn't the slightest inkling that a trading feature would create a black market.
You allowed it to flourish for five years.
In 2016 you suddenly want no part in it?

 

[Alienman]

I wonder if there is a scramble now to get your CSGO skins sold before everything gets closed down.

 

[Astral Rag]

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2016/...-gambling-sites-but-isnt-ready-to-block-them/



I hope governments start banning that crate economy bullshit sooner rather than later.

 

[Infinitron]

ITZ HAPPENING: http://www.pcgamesn.com/counter-strike-global-offensive/csgo-betting-gambling-banned-valve

Twitch's TOS means Valve's gambling ban affects streamers immediately as sites begin to shut down

Update 14 Jul, 2016: Twitch have made a short blog post to point out that their own Terms of Service mean that any streamer using Steam's API for gambling will be banned, some sites have already begun shutdown procedures.

Valve making a decision like shutting down the entire gambling sub-industry has naturally far-reaching implications. Twitch have issued their own statement on it and the various websites it affects have already begun to react.

Twitch's statement reminds users that "per Twitch’s Terms of Service, broadcasters are not permitted to stream content that breaks the terms of service or user agreements of third-parties." This is why you don't see streams of people cheating or hacking in online shooters, for example.

They go on to say that, therefore, "content in which the broadcaster uses or promotes services that violate Valve’s stated restrictions is prohibited on Twitch." So, even though all the sites aren't down yet, gambling on them on streams is banned effective immediately.

Meanwhile, CSGODouble is one of the first sites to react to the news. It now has a pop-up box, displayed below, explaining the situation to its users.

The owner has also stated publically, as caught by Reddit, that he will be going to whatever measures are necessary to make sure all his users get out what they're owed. The worry amongst the community is that not every site will be able to do this and users may lose out.

 

[Atchodas]

Guy running CSGODOUBLE took his spotlight :D meanwhile most of the sites suddenly encountered "technical difficulties" and closed withdrawals he is like buying more skins from market to cashout his customers , probably he already earned his fortune and more lol

 

[Severian Silk]

Does gambling brofists violate the Codex Terms of Service?

 

[Angthoron]

ITZ HAPPENING: http://www.pcgamesn.com/counter-strike-global-offensive/csgo-betting-gambling-banned-valve

The owner has also stated publically, as caught by Reddit, that he will be going to whatever measures are necessary to make sure all his users get out what they're owed. The worry amongst the community is that not every site will be able to do this and users may lose out.

Yeah unlike the amazing gains they had until then.

 

[Havoc]

PhantomL0rd is the biggest Twitch streamer.

 

[Renegen]

GabeN delivers, dens of evil have to be eradicated wherever they show up.

 

[Infinitron]

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2...tube-cs-go-lotto-controversy-changed-anything

Two weeks on, has the YouTube CS:GO Lotto controversy changed anything?

A fortnight ago, YouTube stars Trevor "Tmartn" Martin and Tom "Syndicate" Cassell were discovered as the owners of gambling site CS:GO Lotto.

Both had promoted the game without properly disclosing their ownership, and presented the site as an easy way to earn money. Tmartn even pretended it was a site he'd simply stumbled upon.

The fact these YouTubers were making money from their followers, many of whom are young people, by dressing the site up as a get rich quick scheme was distasteful. The fact they did not adequately disclose their business, on the other hand, was potentially criminal.

And then there were the suggestions that what they'd shown viewers was not even realistic of anyone else's odds at winning. As others showed Eurogamer, with access to a gambling site's code you can very easily stack the odds, and gambling site owners were more than willing to rig bets for YouTube stars.

Both YouTubers paused the production of new videos while the storm of negative press played out. Many of their fans were angered. CS:GO Lotto stopped taking bids. Tmartn lawyered up.

Media watchers noted the controversy, shook their heads at those pesky YouTubers, then moved on.

And so, somewhat inevitably, a fortnight on and both YouTubers are now back making videos full-time. CS:GO Lotto is back open for business. Not even Tmartn's ridiculed and now-deleted attempt at an apology looks like it'll stop either from continuing. But then, it wouldn't - many of their young fans won't care.

CS:GO Lotto stopped taking bets for nearly two weeks, a pause it claimed was deliberate, although ended up lasting a lot longer.

With the controversy dying down, CS:GO Lotto is now back open for business.

Some do, however. Go into the comments sections of videos posted shortly after they resumed their normal schedules and there is a flood of abuse. It's pretty bad, even by YouTube standards. The politer comments call them "scammers" or "criminals". The less polite comments are a good deal worse.

Syndicate is yet to properly address his part in the controversy - or his listing as vice-president of CS:GO Lotto - and has largely kept his head down while TmarTn caught the majority of the flak.

On resuming his regular gaming videos on 9th July, he simply referenced the issue like this:

"I understand making videos on the channel is going to cause a great deal of hate and negativity, but I feel like you guys should be able to vent whatever you want against me in the comments below," Syndicate said, "so the like/dislike rating and comments will all be there.

"Obviously if it is really, really negative spam instead of criticism it'll probably be deleted by a moderator."

That video does have a lower than average like to dislike ratio, but it has now been turned around so likes outnumber dislikes. And by prompting users to make their voices heard in the comments below videos - where only a small number of viewers will look, it allows discussion to be contained.

The other metric for tracking a YouTube channel's popularity is its subscriber numbers. Both TmarTn and TheSyndicateProject's daily numbers have taken a small dip, although for both, it is miniscule amount in terms of each channel's overall subscriber figure.

Syndicate, for example, has 9.91m subscribers on his main channel. Over the last couple of weeks he has gone from 9,918,483 to 9,910,604, and numbers appear to be picking up again.

TmarTn's numbers have dipped a little more, and the overall figure is still going down slightly, although only by a few hundred every day. He has gone from 3,217,611 to 3,203,652, although the rate at which it decreases each day now appears to be levelling off.

It's safe to say that neither account's overall total has nose-dived.

Looking at each channel's latest video, the comments sections still aren't clear of accusations against each YouTube star, but the number of posts referencing the controversy is clearly slowing. The like to dislike ratio on each video is also returning to normal.

Valve has spoken out to say that such sites go against Steam's user policy, although its first mode of action will be to "send notices to these sites requesting they cease operations", which seems a pretty lacklustre response. For its part, Twitch has said this now means the streaming of such sites is prohibited.

Meanwhile, both YouTubers appear to be weathering the storm, and it now seems unlikely either will address the matter further and risk stirring up controversy once again.

Eurogamer has asked both YouTubers for comment, and has been in contact with TmarTn's new legal team - which has since decided to stop responding to our requests.

Realistically, we may not hear of this case again unless the US Federal Trade Commission decides to take action - and that may take years. Consider the fact the FTC finally weighed in against Warner Bros. for its 2014 Shadow of Mordor promotion just last week.

That case - where Warner was rapped for not requiring proper disclosure from YouTubers paid to promote the game - resulted in little more than a slapped wrist for the publisher. It's possible there may be more action in the case of TmarTn and Syndicate, considering the facts of this case. But it seems likely those who even still remember this latest YouTube controversy in a few years will think both stars got off lightly.

 

[gaussgunner]

They be hatin' on phantoml0rd too





How does Gaben feel about this?

 

[Infinitron]

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2...-as-valves-cs-go-gambling-crackdown-continues

One of the biggest Twitch streamers bites the dust as Valve's CS:GO gambling crackdown continues
Jackpot.

Twitch has banned one of its biggest streamers as the crackdown on Counter-Strike gambling websites continues.

PhantomL0rd's Twitch channel is now offline.

James "PhantomL0rd" Varga, who with 1.3m followers was the seventh biggest streamer on Twitch, has seen his channel closed following accusations he rigged Counter-Strike: Global Offensive gambling rolls on-stream.

PhantomL0rd is perhaps the most high-profile video game personality to see an account suspension as a result of the ongoing CS:GO gambling scandal, which has already embroiled YouTube stars Trevor "TmarTn" Martin and Tom "Syndicate" Cassell.

But while TmarTn and Syndicate have continued to make videos with little impact on their YouTube channels, PhantomL0rd's career as a streamer appears over.

PhantomL0rd was accused of rigging CS:GO rolls on a website called CSGO Shuffle. Skype logs obtained by investigative YouTuber Richard Lewis strongly suggest PhantomL0rd part-owns the website - ownership he has failed to disclose - and was fed roll percentages by the co-owner and programmer of the site as he bet.

On 19th October 2015, PhantomL0rd took part in the biggest CS:GO jackpot in history, valued at over $100,000. The video below runs through the high-value inventory of one of the participants.

Twitch streamer "onscreen", who took part in that bet, expressed his concern in a post onReddit:

"If it comes out that this pot was rigged I will be so f***ing mad. I lost $7.4K in that pot."

PhantomL0rd, who has been heavily criticised online, has yet to respond to the accusations. The last video published to his YouTube channel, dated 16th July, declared "I'm back." It focused on League of Legends. Warning: he screams a lot.

Now, Valve has issued legal letters to video game gambling websites associated with its games, such as CSGO Lotto.

At the time of publication, CSGO Shuffle is offline. More like it are sure to follow.

 

[DramaticPopcorn]

Watched Lewis' vids the other day, shit's crazy man

 

[Dexter]

 

[Tehdagah]

Only Valve can profit with cosmetic shit.

 

[Echo Mirage]

Only Valve can profit with cosmetic shit.

Unless you go to G2A and sell directly. I notice people are willing to pay ridiculous money for just a knife skin.

 

[Infinitron]

http://www.pcgamesn.com/counter-strike-global-offensive/csgo-tmartn-csgolotto-lawsuit-2017

Lawyer suing TmarTn and Valve speaks out about the case: "we feel good about it"

The last thing we heard about the Trevor Martin, aka TmarTn, lawsuit was back in July 2016, when the YouTuber’s solicitors said the content creator would be making no more public statements. TmarTn was accused of knowingly misleading his viewers to incite them to gamble on CSGOLotto, a CS:GO skin gambling site that he owned, though he allegedly never disclosed this conflict.

Since there will be "no more public comments" on Martin’s side, we reached out to Jasper D. Ward from Jones Ward PLC, the firm in charge of a lawsuit against Martin and also a class action suit against Valve, who are accused of setting up this ecosystem that allowed underage gamers to gamble illegally. Jones Ward filed the Valve lawsuit on behalf of three clients, and the firm is also representing “a couple dozen” clients against Martin/CSGOLotto. Jones Ward also represent numerous other teenagers and their parents who were harmed by Skins gambling. Ward gave us a full update on the case.

Back in October 2016, Washington’s Federal Court dismissed the case, as they decided the case didn’t fit under the RICO act, a federal act against racketeering, underground gambling and corrupt organisations taking part in concerted illegal activities. Outside of RICO, there was also no federal jurisdiction from any other source, so Ward was forced to re-file the case.

“We re-filed it in State Court in King County, Seattle, against Valve, and we re-filed in Miami-Dade County, Florida, against Trevor Martin and CSGOLotto, because that’s their home state,” Ward tells PCGamesN.

Around December 20, Valve removed the case back to Federal Court, forcing Ward to wait until after Christmas and file a motion to remand, sending it back to State Court. That’s currently pending.

“[Valve] also filed a motion to compel arbitration again - arbitration essentially being where lawsuits go to die. So we’re still finding out where we’re going to be.”

Meanwhile, Trevor Martin’s case is just getting started. “He hasn’t filed any motions,” Ward explains. “I assume he’ll file a motion to dismiss, but I don’t know. Obviously it’s early on, so it’s hard to tell what the outcome is going to be, but we feel good about it. The lawsuit is the best way to hold these guys accountable. For Trevor especially, there doesn’t seem to be any other way to do it. ProSyndicate... it’s going to be hard to get him on the case. He was living in Los Angeles, but now he’s back in the UK.”

Ward tells us this move was around the time skins gambling was shut down, so ProSyndicate could well have planned it before the lawsuits were filed. Whatever the case, the move will make the battle more difficult for Ward and his clients.

How long the lawsuits last depends on a few factors: what the court’s decisions are, whether the court orders arbitration, and more. The case will rest on several questions, as it may not even make it to the stage where Ward gets to point out the case's merits, such as: is skins gambling gambling? Have Valve created a system that allows teenagers to gamble illegally? Are Trevor Martin’s deleted YouTube videos fraudulent misrepresentations of his ownership ventures? Did he induce kids to gamble on a site that he owned without telling anyone he owned it?

“Obviously, on the merits, I want to hold Valve accountable and I think if we ever get to the merits we will. But the procedural stuff in court - they set it up so it’s really hard to get to the merits,” Ward explains. “The hard part in court these days, honestly, is getting to the merits. If we could ever get to the merits, I’d feel more confident, but until then it’s hard to say. I don’t think we’ll lose on whether skins gambling is gambling but, again, like I said, that’s a merits issue. This is what the case is really about. It’s not about what court we’re supposed to be in or who has standing or not - it’s not about those things. It’s about what Valve did. Or it should be."

 

[Mozg]

I was hoping he'd fit in one last use of the word "merits" in that last paragraph

 

[Baron Dupek]

Read that thread quickly (only last page) and...does that mean they finally get a real job after that?

 

[you know what time it is]

That kid that used to stream WoW made like half a mil in donations and he wasn't even a scammer or anything like that. So probably not, not for a long time at least.