Twitch clarifies its position on CS:GO skin gambling controversy

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Streams that breach Steam's TOS also breach Twitch's.

In a welcome move earlier today, Valve made its position clear regarding the use of Steam's in-game item trading functionality, and its use by CS:GO weapon skin gambling sites. Basically, the company confirmed that it's not permitted, writing that the use of "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."

Valve wrote that it intends to send requests to gambling sites to cease their operations, and if they don't, Valve will "pursue the matter as necessary". Following that statement, Twitch has made one of its own, and while it's not necessarily a new update to its terms of service, it makes explicit that streaming gambling activities of this nature is not allowed – at least in cases where the gambling runs contrary to the third-party's TOS, such as it does with Steam.

"As a reminder, per Twitch’s Terms of Service, broadcasters are not permitted to stream content that breaks the terms of service or user agreements of third-parties," the statement reads. 

"As such, content in which the broadcaster uses or promotes services that violate Valve’s stated restrictions is prohibited on Twitch. Our Rules of Conduct lists other examples such as playing pirated games and playing on unauthorized private servers."

These statements follow revelations last week that two popular CS:GO streamers had not disclosed their co-ownership of CSGO Lotto, despite producing videos using the gambling site. That has prompted closer scrutiny of the skin gambling scene as a whole.

Shaun Prescott
Shaun Prescott
Australian Editor

Shaun Prescott is the Australian editor of PC Gamer. With over ten years experience covering the games industry, his work has appeared on GamesRadar+, TechRadar, The Guardian, PLAY Magazine, the Sydney Morning Herald, and more. Specific interests include indie games, obscure Metroidvanias, speedrunning, experimental games and FPSs. He thinks Lulu by Metallica and Lou Reed is an all-time classic that will receive its due critical reappraisal one day.