If you’re looking for a definitive guide to skin gambling, then you’re in the right place. It’s a term that’s simple to define but rather complex to fully explain, so with that in mind, we’ve assembled a top-tier guide that breaks down all aspects of skin gambling. At the highest level, skin gambling is a practice that sees a bettor gamble with virtual, digital assets known as ‘skins’ in almost exactly the same way that they’d gamble using real-world money.
However, with skin gambling, there are a few extra steps involved that make the practice rather risky, and there are some morality concerns regarding the existence of the concept. Before we jump into the guide, we’ll throw out a disclaimer – we at Esports.net do not condone or recommend taking part in skin gambling practices. There are dedicated esports betting sites out there that are safe, regulated, and put in place to accommodate esports bettors.
So, with that having been said, let’s learn everything about skin gambling.
Skins like these can be gambled (Image Credit: Wallpaper Cave)
We talked briefly about how skin gambling uses skins or virtual goods as alternative forms of payment for your betting activities. However, skin gambling has evolved since the introduction of tradable and purchasable skins on popular games such as CSGO, PUBG, Dota 2, H1Z1, etc. Digital skins even date all the way back to when Team Fortress 2 was still a game of the year nominee – it’s an age-old concept that has become a multi-million-dollar side industry all by itself.
These days, skin gambling has even made its way into non-esports gambling practices, such as on case opening sites, Russian roulette and online CSGO casinos. The absence of actual currency can often make gamblers forget how much they’ve spent, which is a leading concern in the space. Furthermore, most skin prices are absurdly volatile and depend on the supply-and-demand chain on the Steam market.
There are some obvious red flags to consider with skin gambling, such as the fact that many skin gambling sites are geared towards ripping off and scamming inexperienced users.
It comes as no surprise that CSGO skins hold tremendous value, considering the almost unique volume of the game’s concept of supply and demand. In fact, Counter-Strike betting with skins became a goldmine for ludicrous gambling sites to churn in large unregulated cash flows. Again, it’s a red flag for those looking to take part in CSGO skin gambling – it’s an unregulated practice.
At one point, skin gambling in CSGO was an industry of its own. So much so that many speculated CSGO skins are valued as they are today thanks to their dark history. It’s what fueled the demand, but there were massive caveats for gambling regulators across the globe.
Skin betting is technically illegal unless the gambling platform holds a particular betting license, namely the Isle of Man license. The license is obtained through the UK Gambling Commission, but depending on your location around the world, you can still access the platform offering skin betting to use.
Throughout history, many illegal esports betting sites offered skins as a more ‘convenient’ method of betting. Deservedly, these websites found themselves dealing with lawsuits from the government for their unlicensed skin gambling activity. However, the worst hit by the skin gambling fiasco was Valve, who originally made skins for trading and their market. The freedom to use their skin gave rise to the unregulated flow of underground Dota 2 skin gambling.
Skin gambling sites are even accepting skins from less popular games such as PUBG skin gambling, and TF2 skin gambling. At one point, even H1Z1 skin gambling activities were rampant.
It can be, but only if you’re using a platform that is regulated in some way and is provably trusted by its users.
For instance, there are skin gambling sites that hold the Isle of Man license, and provided your country of residence also doesn’t prohibit skin gambling – or any kind of esports betting – then you’re mostly fine. But, given the volatile fluctuation of the skins’ value, you can take our word that you are better off with other alternatives. Furthermore, almost every skin betting platform requires you to link your account with your Steam profile, allowing access to your repository of skins.
There are also the possibilities of skin betting scams, in which you might get ripped off if you aren’t careful.
Don’t lose those CSGO skins! (Image Credit: PC Gamer)
We hope that we’ve effectively pushed the message across that the harsh reality of skin gambling and how looks can be deceiving. As gambling with skins died out, esports bookmakers made it their mission to deliver safe betting on esports.
Esports betting is much safer when it comes to esports odds as well, instead of casino-like odds, which for the record, are always against you. Not to mention that esports betting is also well-established as a skilled entertainment medium, where seasoned gamblers pride themselves on their accurate and in-depth analysis of esports matches.
Sticking with the CSGO theme, esports betting and the bookmakers that offer CSGO odds provide a vast array of betting markets that require you to make an accurate prediction to win the bet. But the main selling point is how straightforward it is, from a consumer standpoint, to just bet a fixed amount and still have a fair judgment of your spending habits.
Of course, esports betting isn’t limited to CSGO only – there’s a vast and diverse ecosystem out there that incorporates almost every top-tier esports title in the business.
To obtain CSGO skins, try trading them for their typical prices on either Steam Market or third-party CS2 skin-swapping platforms.
If the safety and simplicity of esports betting aren’t enticing enough, then you are in luck. Bookmakers offer generous esports betting bonuses, especially for new joiners.
Hopefully, this segment has been educational in discouraging keen bettors from skin gambling and its nasty gimmicks. We also shared reliable options to fill your betting needs, but with real money. Lastly, it’s important to note that there is a vast quantity of esports betting sites that are trustworthy and reliable.
Skin betting is technically illegal unless the gambling platform holds a particular betting license, namely the Isle of Man license. The license is obtained through the UK Gambling Commission, but depending on your location around the world, you can still access the platform offering skin betting to use. Depending on your location, you can still access esports betting sites offering skin betting practices.
Yes, but only if you use skin gambling sites that hold the Isle of Man license and your residing country doesn’t prohibit it. Frankly, given the volatile fluctuation of the skins’ value, you can take our word that you are better off with other alternatives.
Read Also: Rarest and most expensive skins in Counter-Strike
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