They had to become familiar with a whole lot of jargon. “Steam”, “skins”, “box”, and all the vocabulary of online gaming Counter-Strike (CS), now has no more secrets for Adrien Lachet and Lina Fourneau. Our two journalists from 20 minutes worked for a month on the first-person shooter and its ecosystem.
In their sights, the “markets”, and other sites affiliated with gaming, some of which turn out to be real online casinos. In any case, this is what they defend in their investigation. Above all, these sites allow you to buy “weapon costumes” explains Adrien Lachet in this episode. “A weapon can cost 3 cents up to 1,500 euros on the site’s official platform, Steam.” But other sites independent of the publisher have emerged and on them, the prices are exposed.
In these new spaces, the player navigates this speculative market for the sale and resale of weapons. But its activity can go much further. “For example, the player can buy bundles of weapons, a “box”. Like the lottery, he can only win one weapon from this lot. To know his final gain, the player must then spin a roulette,” explains Adrien Lachet. We then find ourselves in a real virtual casino.
Online gambling is illegal if it meets three criteria: hope of winning, financial sacrifice and chance. “Clearly when we see how these sites are made, it meets all these criteria,” explains Lina Fourneau in this podcast.
Almost non-existent regulation
Still little known, these online games of chance, depending on the game Counter-Strike, are not currently subject to a ban. The national gaming authority, chief inspector of this digital space, does not yet clearly identify this sector. Hence the importance of spontaneous reports.
But the network especially benefits from important relays with influencers, the survey reveals. The market offers them astronomical sums for a few promotional messages. Even the editor of CS, Valve, does not seem in a hurry to regulate the sprawling digital space that was built on the popularity of the site. A network of economic interdependence seems to have been forged over the years between the game and the different sites. The room for maneuver to regulate practices therefore becomes narrow. Nobody has any interest in it. Otherwise, the whole house of cards collapses.