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The past few months have seen a meaningful surge in coverage surrounding the betting side of the esports industry, and it hasnt been pretty. Back in April, Bloomberg published a significant investigative piece detailing the scope of the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive skin betting marketplace and many of the issues stemming from that industry. This article, coupled with a public scandal involving the skin betting site CSGO Diamonds, helped spur a class action suit against Valve. Then two weeks ago, a video from prominent YouTuber h3h3Productions helped shed light on a wide array of issues, including potential fraud, related to the prominent betting site CSGO Lotto.Valve had remained silent throughout this mounting controversy, but its silence ended yesterday. Valve issued a statement entitled In Game Item Trading Update that could mark the demise of skin betting as we know it. While Valves stance seems relatively black and white, the language used in the statement leaves open as many questions as it answers. I will parse through that language to offer more insight into Valves decision and what it means for the future of betting surrounding Valve titles, including Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.Analyzing Valves statementIn 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.Since then a number of gambling sites started leveraging the Steam trading system, and theres been some false assumptions about our involvement with these sites. Wed 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.As far as I know, this is completely true. It could be argued that Valve has supported gambling sites to a certain extent by allowing users to log in via Steam, and Valve games have certainly become more popular as a result of these sites. But that is not the same thing as receiving revenue from their operations. Perhaps more information will come to light over time to support the allegations leveled against Valve in the class action lawsuit filed in Connecticut, but I havent seen any credible evidence that contradicts Valves assertion in its public statement.These sites have basically pieced together their operations in a 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 users Steam account is either manually disclosed by the user or obtained from the users 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.This is the crux of Valves position, and judging from the public reaction thus far, it has been largely misunderstood. It does not appear that Valve is banning third-party sites from using Steam accounts to facilitate skin betting. At least, not yet. If you run a search in the Steam Web API Terms of Use and Steam Subscriber Agreement, the word gambling is nowhere to be found. In fact, the API Terms of Use havent been updated since July 2010, before the trading marketplace was even implemented and long before skins were introduced to CS:GO in 2013 through the Arms Deal update.Instead, Valves issue seems to be with the fact that gambling sites create automated Steam accounts that make the same web calls as individual Steam users. This naturally begs two questions: Does this affect sites that use automated Steam accounts to make API calls for purposes other than gambling? Can gambling sites continue to use the API so long as they dont make automated calls?The dominant skin marketplace website, OPSkins, released a statement yesterday that it doesnt believe it is impacted by Valves statement because it is not a gambling site. While it is certainly true that OPSkins users cannot gamble on the site, it does not appear to address the fact that OPSkins makes precisely the same type of automated API calls as betting sites in order to facilitate the large volume of transactions.Meanwhile, gambling sites such as Bets.gg have stated that they will continue to operate, and intend to implement changes to comply with the ToS update from Valve. While its not entirely clear how Bets.gg or other gambling sites could alter their behavior in order to comply with the API and other Valve user agreements, the fact is that Valves current position leaves room for them to do so.Thus, Valves statement creates a level of uncertainty that will have to be addressed. At present, its far from clear which sites will and will not be allowed to access the API moving forward.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.This is where the rubber meets the road. At the end of the day, the real impact will come from Valves enforcement, not from the statement itself. Will Valve enforce the API restrictions against all third parties, or just gambling sites? Will Valve actively monitor the situation and eliminate new sites as they arise, or will it take a more passive approach?Perhaps the biggest uncertainty surrounds whether Valve will go after all forms of gambling (including betting on the outcome of esports matches), or if Valve is targeting traditional gambling activities such as coin flips, lotteries and similar games. In its statement, Valve consistently uses the word gambling, as opposed to betting. This could be an attempt to draw a distinction between certain types of wagering activities, or it could have no significance at all.Only time will tell how all of this plays out. But from where Im sitting, there simply isnt enough information in Valves short statement for anyone to do more than speculate.Impact on the esports landscapeDespite the uncertainty surrounding yesterdays statement, its great to see Valve taking action in this area. We are rapidly approaching a critical mass of negative publicity that could have a significant impact on the longevity of the second-most popular esport in the world, as well as the interests of every party involved in that competitive ecosystem. If unregulated skin betting is allowed to continue unchecked, broader backlash and the advent of regulation from parties who do not understand our industry is inevitable.I sincerely hope that Valves statement marks the beginning of the end for unregulated, unlicensed betting sites that prey on underage users and offer no safeguards against fraud, threats to competitive integrity and much more. That being said, Im not sure today is that day.The fact that Valves statement relies on API misuse is particularly telling. So long as sites can find a way to comply with the terms of use, they may be allowed to continue operating.There is also the potential that Valves stance could be overboard, eliminating all skin-based betting, not simply the sites that operate illegally.It is often overlooked that skins offer a unique type of betting unit that could change the face of gambling as we know it. While many people buy, sell and gamble skins purely as a form of currency, skins are designed to be used, not merely held. In stark contrast to pure cash, a skin may become less valuable to a user over time while maintaining its value to another user who doesnt own that particular skin. As such, it offers the rare opportunity for gambling with reduced negative consequences for the loser. It is a fundamentally different type of gambling transaction, one that could represent a watershed opportunity for the gambling industry.I dont think it is good for anyone to simply eliminate the potential to bet using skins, and I hope Valve isnt going down this path.The problem isnt betting. The problem is unlicensed, unregulated betting. So long as it is done responsibly, betting can drive engagement and additional revenue streams, with manageable negative impacts. There is ample empirical and anecdotal evidence that shows gambling can be good for esports viewership. But that doesnt mean we should stand by and allow the fraud, false advertising and other illegal behavior that has surfaced over the past few months to go unchecked.Im glad to see Valve acknowledge that it has a role to play in eradicating bad actors. As it moves forward and enforces its position, I hope that Valve will strike the right balance between eliminating problematic behavior while permitting gambling in a legal, regulated and responsible manner.Disclosure: Bryce Blum is the General Counsel at Unikrn. Cheap Nike Free Shoes . Uniteds eighth defeat of a wretched campaign means Liverpool, which currently occupies the fourth and final Champions League place, could go nine points clear of its fierce rival by beating West Bromwich Albion on Sunday. Charlie Adam scored both of Stokes goals at Britannia Stadium either side of Robin van Persies equalizer, with a miserable day for seventh-place United capped by first-half injuries to centre halves Jonny Evans and Phil Jones that forced them off. Cheap China Nike Free Shoes . -- Nate Robinson has played for seven teams, so beating one of them is no longer a rare occurrence. http://www.nikefreecheap.com/ . -- Bobby Ryan helped the U. Cheap Nike Free China Free Shipping . After a lengthy wait, persistent rain finally forced the postponement of the Nationals game against the Miami Marlins on Saturday night. The teams, and a few thousand fans, waited nearly four hours from the 7:05 scheduled start time before an announcement was made shortly before 11 p. Wholesale Nike Free Shoes China . President of baseball operations Larry Beinfest was fired Friday after 12 years with the Marlins. The move came as the team neared the end of its third consecutive last-place season in the NL East.EDMONTON -- The Edmonton Eskimos defence has not performed to expectations so far this season, giving up a division-high 139 points and a league-high 15 touchdowns through the first five games. But despite the struggles, linebacker Odell Willis says the teams defensive unit will be just fine. The issue, he said, stems partly from an unfamiliarity between new teammates that will be ironed out with time. "Its always tough to jell with newcomers," Willis said. "Once we jell and once things come together, the skys the limit. The thing is, we have to put together a whole game. "Once the season gets towards the end, I want people to come and ask us questions," he added. "Right now were just getting started." Edmontons defensive woes -- coupled with a struggling offence -- have put the Eskimos in the bottom of the West Division with just one win in five games. The Eskimos are 0-2 when playing at home this season and they will host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, who are also 1-4, Friday night. Head coach Kavis Reed said the defence has played well "in spurts," like it did in the second half of last weeks 32-27 loss to Montreal. Overall, he said, they "havent done poorly." But there have been disappointments, Reed added, like the lack of pressure the line -- anchored by Willis and Marcus Howard -- is getting on the quarterbacks and their inability to stop the run. Edmonton is giving up an average of 143 rushing yards per game and has held a team under 135 yyards only once this season.dddddddddddd That happened July 7 in Hamilton when the Tiger-Cats were held to 66 rushing yards after Edmonton jumped into a 16-0 lead before torrential rains began to fall. The Eskimos won that game 30-20, taking their first and only victory of the young CFL season. Cornerback Joe Burnett, who will miss his second straight game with a hamstring injury, said that fixing these issues will be critical Friday when Edmonton takes on Hamilton. "Last game a they didnt get to do a lot of what they wanted to do," Burnett said. "Theyll come in here passing the ball and we have to get pressure on their quarterback to rush him into making decisions." Third-year Eskimo Almondo Sewell doesnt totally buy into Willis argument that the team needs time to jell, especially with a relatively veteran defence including Willis, who comes to Edmonton after four years in the league. "Were all professional players," Sewell said. "You come in, you do your job." The biggest problem through five games, he added, was the defence "making a bunch of mistakes. " Mostly, those mistakes have come in the form of costly penalties at inopportune times, prompting Reed to warn his players two weeks ago that they would face consequences if the penalties continued. Reed said his players have responded well, adding that penalties will never be fully avoided. "We just want to make sure theyre not stupid penalties that cost us," he said. ' ' '