G2 Esports takes risk on skin gambling deal with CSGORoll
Sharpr is a weekly newsletter covering the intersection of esports and betting
Hi everyone, Cody here.
Crazy to think it’s already May, and how damn cold it still is in Connecticut.
On the bright side, I’ll be attending SBC North America in New Jersey next week, and I assume at least a handful of my readers will be at the conference too. If you’re planning to be at the event and would like to meet up, drop me a line – my contact info is below.
In the news this week, a top esports team strikes a deal with a skin gambling site, and Stake makes a play in esports betting through a new partnership.
Let’s dig in.
In this week’s edition of Sharpr…
G2 Esports takes risk on skin gambling deal with CSGORoll.
Stake deepens esports offering through Oddin partnership.
Luckbox announces its FY22 results.
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G2 Esports takes risk on skin gambling deal with CSGORoll
Berlin-based esports organization G2 Esports has announced a partnership with Counter-Strike: Global Offensive skin gambling site CSGORoll.
CSGORoll will receive brand placement on the G2’s CS:GO team jerseys as part of the deal.
The pair plans to activate around the upcoming CS:GO Paris Major, which kicks off on May 8.
This includes an in-person giveaway during the tournament where fans can win prizes via a “CSGORoll-inspired slot machine.”
CSGORoll is a Cyprus-based betting website where users can deposit both in-game items and real money to wager against other users or on a variety of casino games.
G2 Esports is a globally popular team with rosters competing in more than six different esports titles including League of Legends, Valorant, Rocket League, and more. The team was founded in 2013 and boasts over 1.5M followers on Twitter.
The partnership, which was revealed through a promotional trailer on Twitter Tuesday morning, has faced open criticism from the team’s fans and onlookers alike.
The video features G2’s star player Ilya "m0NESY" Osipov strolling through a glitzy casino before picking up the dice at a craps table. Despite turning 18 the day before the announcement was revealed, Osipov is an undeniably young-looking character, and gives an inappropriate impression.
“This sets a really dangerous precedent,” one Twitter user wrote.
🦈 Sharpr Take: There can be somewhat of an ambiguous line in esports betting distinguishing what’s right and wrong. This typically boils down to a matter of opinion, but let’s briefly agree on a few things before getting into the analysis here.
This is a segment rife with younger consumers, and despite the esports audience “aging up,” a considerable portion of these fans will still be under the legal gambling age in most countries. Engaging fans at the intersection of esports and betting requires a modestly delicate approach to do things above board; at a minimum, you’d expect proper KYC, consumer protections, and responsible marketing practices, among other things, that ensure you’re walking the proverbial tightrope carefully.
But that figurative line, wherever it lands, is one that you just don’t cross, and G2 crossed it.
It took me about 15 minutes to register an account on CSGORoll, deposit the minimum amount, which was about $3.50 (with my credit card nonetheless), and gamble away my money on a dice game.
The only bit of KYC that stood between me and the deposit page was a mere checkbox asking if I was at least 18-years old. So what’s to stop anyone else?
First off, if you’re wondering WTF skin gambling is, you can read this story and get a good understanding of its dangerous implications and shrouded history.
Skin gambling sites like CSGORoll will unfortunately continue to operate in narrow gaps of legal ambiguity and regulatory perplexity, but what continues to enrage fans (myself included) is the clear moral irresponsibility of top teams and brands in the space endorsing them. Imagine the New York Jets signing a deal with a black market operator, or Everton partnering with Stake?.. Oh wait.
Coincidentally, it was roughly a year ago when Danish esports outfit Astralis announced a partnership with black market crypto operator Roobet. The deal was met with overwhelming backlash, and ultimately resulted in Astralis terminating the two-year agreement a day later.
G2, on the other hand, has so far appeared to weather the short-term criticism for financial gain, even if at the expense of its fan base.
Stake deepens esports offering through Oddin partnership
Crypto casino and sportsbook Stake has announced a partnership with Oddin to expand its esports offering.
Oddin will arm Stake with its premium esports odds feed and a tailored risk management solution.
The partnership arrives amid an uptick in esports wagering on Stake, with the company striking a deal to “meet the market demand.”
The revamped esports offering is said to be ready and available to Stake players soon.
Dominic Hardcastle, director of operations at Stake, said the partnership doubles down on its commitment to esports crypto betting: “As the esports industry continues to grow at an exponential rate, which we have seen in our sportsbook already, we knew we had to significantly enhance our existing offering to meet the market demand.”
Oddin is the choice esports supplier of many bookmakers, sporting similar deals with Betway, LOOT.BET, DuelBits, and many others. The company is growing at a fast clip, having raised a $4.5M USD Series A in August and establishing a trading hub in Lima, Peru, just last week to expand its efforts in Western Markets.
🗞 In the news
Luckbox has announced its FY22 results.
Gogawi, the esports operator owned by EBET, has shuttered its affiliate program.
Former Allied Esports CEO Rob Proctor has joined esports and entertainment venue company Glytch as its new chief revenue officer.
📈 By the numbers
Ohio sportsbook handle reached $739M in March, a 15.6% increase over February.
Colorado sports betting revenue increased 147% YoY in March.
The Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Pro League Malaysia has set a league record of over 6.3M hours watched.