Berlin-based esports organization G2 Esports has announced a partnership with CS:GO skin gambling and trading site CSGORoll, which has raised concerns in the esports community.
The controversial partnership has come under fire from critics who are concerned that G2 Esports may be promoting unregulated gambling of CS:GO skins to underage viewers, due to the graphic depictions of CSGORoll’s interface and traditional backgammon cards in a casino setting. The announcement video for the partnership has also drawn criticism due to the use of G2’s newly 18-year-old CS:GO star Ilya ‘M0nESY’ Osipov, as the ad appears to involve a young person in promoting a skin gambling site.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbxAL7l_Ajw
CSGORoll is one of the largest CS:GO skin sites in the esports scene, and has managed to avoid the scandals surrounding other skin gambling sites.
The site offers a way for users to verify its random number generation code to ensure the user is not being defrauded. However, some community members believe it is inappropriate for G2 Esports to be partnering with a site that appears to offer unregulated gambling of CS:GO skins.
The length and terms of the partnership, and details of future activations, were not disclosed. G2 Esports is listed as an Official Partner on CSGORoll’s website.
In February, the esports organization entered a partnership with Philippine-based organization Blacklist International to create a League of Legends: Wild Rift team known as G2 Blacklist. The team also unveiled a partnership with DC Comics last week, inspiring a themed jersey to be worn by G2 Esports’ League of Legends team at the upcoming Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) tournament taking place in London from May 2 until May 21.
