In 2016, after a lawsuit from Connecticut resident Valve fight against illegal gambling based on . In mid-2018, the situation was aggravated by the unfolding war with “loot boxes”: in Belgium and the Netherlands, users open containers in the shooter and Dota 2, as well as temporarily disabled trade and item exchange in these games. The company continues to receive claims against it, and some of them are very unusual: for example, it was recently sued by the Quinolt Indian Reservation, which owns a casino in one of the districts of Washington state.
The Quinolt Reservation is a federally recognized group of 3120 Indian tribes, most of whom live in western Washington State. She owns not only agricultural enterprises and catering establishments, but also the entertainment business. Founded in the late XNUMXth century in Grays Harbor County, Quinault Beach Resort & Casino operates a casino that generates a significant portion of the reservation's revenue. According to the Indians, Valve, whose headquarters is also located in Washington (Bellevue), creates unfair competition in this segment.
In the lawsuit from Quinolt, the use of skins for weapons in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is equated with bets in the casino: the user buys a container for $ 2,5, which can contain items of both greater and lesser value. At the same time, in terms of “visual, sound design and general sensations”, the process is similar to playing a one-armed bandit. It is also claimed that Valve "provided technical and financial support" for illegal gambling sites and did not use "black lists" to prohibit such resources from accessing its servers.
“Users buy chips from the bartender, place bets in the back room, and get paid in another, all under the auspices of Valve,” such a comparison is made in . The reservation management calls this practice "fraud" and "unsafe and unfair gambling." The Indians have to pay taxes and make sure they do business fairly, while Valve doesn't have to worry about anything.
“Valve is well aware of skin-based gambling and that these items are of real value,” the plaintiff alleges. - This contributes to the growth of the company's popularity and profitability, so it actively encourages such gambling. […] Over the years, Valve has made huge profits from the illegal gambling business and has done little to nothing to stop it.”
Valve never tires of emphasizing that it has nothing to do with gambling sites where items from Counter-Strike: Global Offensive are used as bets. The said 2016 lawsuit (which subsequently received class action status) was , but the company still launched a fight against such resources: at that time, it sent more than 40 letters to their owners demanding to stop their activities.
Source: 3dnews.ru