Skin betting has played a big role in the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’s betting history, but it’s tied to a dark past, where shady betting websites with questionable practices have been running wild. Fortunately, Valve has worked hard to bring it to a stop, and while there are still many shady betting sites, the CSGO skin gambling scene is now much healthier than it was last decade.
But how does CSGO skin betting look nowadays, and how does it work? We’ll answer that and more in our in-depth Counter-Strike: Global Offensive skin betting guide, teaching you everything you need to know about it and how you should approach betting skins.
What Is CS:GO
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is a hugely popular online first-person-shooter (FPS) multiplayer game developed and released by Valve in 2012. It’s the fourth game of the Counter-Strike series and one of the biggest esports titles in the world.
The game pits two teams of five players against each other in a series of highly intense and fast-paced rounds in a best-of-30 match, where a team that wins 16 rounds first wins the game. The teams take over the role of Terrorists or Counter-Terrorists, with separate goals they need to achieve in the game.
Terrorists must plant the bomb on one of two bomb sites on the map within two minutes or kill all members of the opposing team, while Counter-Terrorists must prevent Terrorists from doing so. Counter-Terrorists win the map by either defusing the bomb, preventing their opponents from planting the bomb within two minutes, or killing all Terrorists.
The game is very simple to understand, but that doesn’t take away from its depth which keeps it entertaining to play and watch.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is not only a very popular game but also a big name in the esports scene, known as one of the top-three esports titles alongside League of Legends and Dota 2. But not only is CS:GO popular among gamers, but it’s also a huge player in the online esports betting scene.
What are CSGO skins?
CSGO skins are in-game cosmetic items players can use to change the appearance of their weapons, namely guns and knives. They were introduced to CS:GO in August 2013, just a year after the game’s release, and have been since a big part of the game, offering players a chance to customize their weapons’ look.
Although skins add no other value than the appearance of in-game weapons, they quickly became popular in the CS:GO community, which has started buying, selling, and trading skins, which have quickly gained monetary value.
There are CSGO skins valued at well over $100,000, with some costing as little as $0.01. But no matter the price, CSGO skins hold some market value, enabling them to be used as currency between players, and even as a deposit method on some esports betting sites.
How CS:GO Skin Betting Works?
CSGO skin betting is very straightforward, as it doesn’t differ much from traditional esports betting. The only difference is that you’re not funding your betting account with real money but rather with CSGO skins. So if you wish to bet on CS:GO with skins, you only need to have a Steam account with CSGO skins and access to CSGO gambling sites where you can deposit your skins.
Skin gambling websites operate similarly to any betting sites, so your experience using them won’t differ much compared to if you were to use any esports betting bookmaker. However, it is worth noting that the deposit methods on skin betting sites aren’t always the same.
On all skin gambling sites, you have to trade your skins to transfer them to your betting account. And from there, the skins will get converted into real money (based on their value on the Steam marketplace) or the betting site’s currency.
Another notable difference between skin gambling sites and traditional betting sites is that the former also offers popular CSGO casino games on their platforms, which are rarely found on your usual esports bookmakers. But besides that, there is no difference between how traditional and skin betting on CS:GO works.
Notably, there aren’t as many CSGO gambling sites that accept skins nowadays, but there are still plenty of CSGO skin betting websites if you know where to look. Due to the dark past CSGO gambling sites are known for, you have to proceed to pick one with caution. However, as long as you register on licensed, regulated, and legal gambling websites, you don’t have to worry about getting scammed or exposing your personal information.
Is CS:GO Skin Betting Allowed?
Skin betting is allowed and completely legal, as long as you wager on a licensed, regulated, and legal online betting site. Moreover, you have to be old enough to bet, and your local laws mustn’t prohibit online betting.
Even though skin betting might sound like it’s entirely different from traditional betting, it doesn’t differ much. And not only do you bet with skins the same way as you would with real money, but the two forms of CS:GO betting also follow the same rules and laws.
So if you want to start with CSGO skin gambling and are unsure whether it’s allowed and legal, we can confidently say that it is if you use a legal skin betting website and follow local betting laws.
The Best CS:GO Skin Betting Sites
Every successful betting journey starts with creating an account with a solid betting site, and skin betting is no exception. If you want an enjoyable experience, you must register only with the best CSGO gambling sites that can offer you competitive betting odds and enough betting markets.
Moreover, the betting site you choose should be reputable, have a responsive site, and all the bonus features you might need, including mobile betting app, enough banking options, a responsive platform, and maybe even casino games.
Since there are so many CSGO skin gambling sites, it might sound like a daunting task trying to find one that will satisfy all your needs. But that’s not necessarily the case, as there are many great options to choose from, including:
- CSGOEmpire
- CSGO500
- CSGOFast
- Thunderpick
Know that even some traditional betting sites can technically be used as a skin betting website since many esports betting sites accept CSGO skins as deposits. Although they don’t offer as many games as CSGO gambling sites, they’re more than fine to use for anyone who wishes to bet with his skins.
CS:GO Skin Betting Bonuses
All esports betting sites, including skin betting sites, will have some form of promotions and bonuses ready for their customers. These promotions come in many shapes and sizes, but while the offer will vary, all bookmakers will have at least a welcome bonus available.
The welcome bonus is the most common betting offer you’ll find on online betting sites, and it’s commonly offered in the form of a matched deposit. However, some bookmakers also offer new users free bets or no-deposit bonuses; granted, those are not as common as the matched deposit bonus.
Already existing users of esports betting sites will have access to a plethora of other bonuses, including free bets, acca boosts, reload bonuses, VIP clubs, and special promotions, which will vary from bookmaker to bookmaker. But the special promotions are most commonly offered during big tournaments or ahead of important CS:GO matches.
Bonuses and promotions are some of the best tools bookmakers can use to keep their customers satisfied, and you can rest assured that there will be plenty available no matter which esports betting site you use.
CS:GO Skin Betting Odds
Before you can start betting on CS:GO with skins, you have to know how to understand CS:GO betting odds and how to read them. That is a fairly straightforward process, though, especially if you have ever bet on sports or esports before.
The odds you’ll find on CSGO skin gambling sites don’t differ from any other online betting website, and the markets available are precisely the same. The main thing you need to know about CS:GO odds is that they show the implied probability of something happening, such as the probability of a team winning, a team winning the game with at least one map to spare, or for a player to get the first kills.
Notably, not only will you see bookmakers’ offers vary in the variety of betting markets, but bookmakers will also price the markets differently. For example, Thunderpick can price Astralis at 2.10 to defeat Team Vitality, while GG.Bet might offer 2.20 on Astralis to win the match.
These odds discrepancies are fairly common, and you as a bettor should be on the lookout for them. In this example, if you wanted to bet on Astralis, you should bet on them at GG.Bet, where you’re guaranteed a higher payout if your team wins. This example also shows why it’s important to have accounts with multiple bookmakers and why having multiple accounts can be highly beneficial.
CS:GO Skin Betting Types
The betting options and bet types you’ll find on CSGO skin betting sites are no different from the bet types you’ll come across browsing any traditional esports betting site. Admittedly, the markets will vary a bit depending on which bookmaker you’re using, but all solid CS:GO betting sites will have the main markets covered. Some of the most popular CS:GO bet types include.
Moneyline
Moneyline is the most basic and straightforward bet you can make while wagering on CS:GO. It’s a simple bet on which team will win the next match, and it doesn’t matter how long it takes them or by how many rounds or maps they do it. The only thing that matters is the final result.
Handicaps
Handicaps add a bit more flexibility to your CS:GO betting than moneyline. With handicap betting, the bookmaker applies a points (maps, rounds) margin or handicap to the favored team in a contest in order to level the playing field.
For example, if G2 Esports are set to meet with Complexity and are considered strong favorites to win the game, bookmakers will offer a negative handicap on G2 and a positive handicap on Complexity. The handicaps can be anything from maps won, rounds won or kills, but most commonly, the handicaps in CS:GO are on maps and rounds.
Assuming G2 Esports and Complexity will meet in a best-of-three series, a bookmaker could offer a -1.5 map handicap on G2 Esports and a +1.5 map handicap on Complexity. If you were to bet on G2, you are predicting that G2 will win the game with a 1.5 map margin, while a bet on Complexity means you’re predicting Complexity to win at least one map.
Totals (Over/Under)
Totals (or over/under) is one of the most popular bet types for betting on Counter-Strike, and it works the same way as in esport and sports betting. With totals, you’re predicting whether a certain statistic in a CS:GO game will go over or under the predetermined number set by the bookmaker.
For example, you can bet on how many maps will be played in a best-of-three series, where ane sports betting site will set the line at 2.5 maps, allowing you to predict whether the game will reach three maps or will it end in two.
Besides betting on maps, you can also predict the total number of kills, rounds player, or individual player’s kills in a game. There are many ways you can bet on totals in CS:GO, and they all work the same way.
Outrights
Outrights are bets you make to predict a certain event in the future. Most commonly, outrights are used to predict a tournament or league winner. So if you are using a skin betting website and want to predict that FURIA Esports will win the next Major, you can bet on them winning the event on the outright betting markets.
Other outright betting options include betting on tournament MVP, the player to score the most kills in a tournament, or any other event that will happen in the future.
Propositions
Propositions, also known as prop bets, are unique bet types you’ll come across while using betting sites. With props, you’re predicting an occurrence or non-occurrence of a specific event in a match that won’t directly affect the final outcome.
Examples of prop bets you will find include player to get the first kill, will a player will use a specific weapon in a game, how many knife kills will be in the next match, and more.
CS:GO Skin Betting History
During its time, CSGO skin betting was incredibly popular, and there was an abundance of skin betting sites that seemed to pop up overnight. It was an extremely lucrative business for skin betting sites, but its appeal and promise of profits also attracted many shady businesses.
Everything went fine until 2016 when a scandal erupted involving two popular YouTubers in Tom “ProSyndicate” Cassell and Trevor “TmarTn” Martin, who founded a gambling site named CSGO Lotto and promoted it on their YouTube channels. The problem was that neither of them disclosed that they owned it.
This resulted in a plethora of lawsuits, with Valve named as the defendant, eventually leading to one of the biggest scandals in CS:GO’s history. As a result, Valve took measures and clapped down on skin gambling, filing lawsuits against online skin betting sites, most of which had to shut down.
But even though CSGO skin betting dried up in 2016, many skin betting sites still exist, albeit they were forced to change their model and had to become more traditional betting operators. So while skin betting we knew before 2016 essentially no longer exists, you can still bet on esports with skins, albeit only as a deposit method.
Skin Betting vs. Traditional Betting
Skin betting and traditional esports betting are very similar in how you approach them, but there is one big difference in how you can deposit money into your betting account.
With traditional betting, you would use any of the popular payment methods in Visa/MasterCard, e-wallets, or bank transfers of crypto to fund your betting account. On the other side, with skin betting, you will use your in-game weapon skins or any other CS:GO skin to deposit money into the skin betting site.
Despite what its name suggests, you won’t be betting skins but rather convert your CS:GO skin into real money or site currency, depending on its value on the skin marketplace. But besides the deposit method, there is no difference between betting on CS:GO on skin betting sites and traditional bookmakers.
So you might be wondering which one is better. Unfortunately, there is no accurate answer to that. If you have CSGO skins (or Dota 2 skins) and want to convert them into currency and bet with them, then a skin betting site is the obvious choice. But if you just want to bet on CS:GO and don’t mind depositing money with any of the traditional payment methods, then esports betting sites might be a better choice as they usually offer better betting markets and more competitive odds.
CS:GO Skin Betting FAQ
Can you still bet skins on CSGO?
Although you can’t bet CSGO skins directly, there are still CSGO skin betting sites where you can deposit your weapon skins, convert them into real money or the site’s currency, and use that for betting on esports. So no, you can’t bet skins, but you can bet with skins.
Are CSGO cases gambling?
Yes, all CSGO skin betting sites that offer case openings are gambling sites where you can risk your money in a bid to collect generous rewards. CS:GO cases gambling works the same way as any CS:GO casino games, although they look slightly different than slots.
Is CSGO gambling bannable?
CSGO gambling is not bannable since you are the only one to decide what you’ll do with your CSGO skins. As an owner of in-game CSGO skins, you can decide to deposit them on any gambling site and gamble with them; however, you must make sure that you’re using a licensed and regulated website.
Is skin gambling legal?
Yes, skin gambling is completely legal, as long as you use a legal skin gambling site. Even though many CSGO skin betting sites were shut down in 2016, some continue to operate with a valid gambling license.
Are CSGO gambling sites worth it?
CS:GO gambling sites can be worth it, depending on what you’re looking to achieve. Due to their offer of popular CS:GO casino games, the skin gambling sites can be highly entertaining and can be worth it for entertainment purposes. But even though most popular gambling sites can be fun, you should be smart about it and be aware of the gambling addiction it can cause.
