Dear Team Liquid Community,

I would like to share my thoughts on our new betting partnership with Duelbits, and my experiences with sports betting as a former professional poker player.

Sports betting is a major part of modern sports and as long as this is the case, it will continue to be one of the most influential and well-funded sponsorship categories in the industry. As a competitive sports team, we can't ignore the role sponsorships play in staying competitive. Having said that, Team Liquid has always maintained that should we have a betting partner, we would do it in a way that fits us, and with a partner that fits us. The future of the betting industry is dependent on a healthy and sustainable relationship with users. We feel that we have such a partner with Duelbits, because they understand this and the risks of getting it wrong. Like us, they want to see betting done responsibly and marketed safely. 

In the 2000’s, I was a professional poker player for seven years, competing at the highest levels online and running a poker community site. That experience gave me an unfiltered look into the betting world. I’ve seen the good, the bad, and the parts no one talks about, like the harm it can do when people fall through the cracks, and the lack of support they face when they do. I have also seen how banning betting and gambling entirely often pushes people with addictions into even worse situations.

My experience in the poker world has taught me that gambling can be a negative force when let run wild; I’ve learned these negative effects can be mitigated when paired with regulation and oversight that helps prevent addiction, keeps minors away from betting services, and protects the customer. 

I personally enjoy sports betting and find it can be approached with strategy and discipline, much like poker. So long as they bet responsibly, betting can make it more engaging for someone to watch a game and deepen the connection they have to a sport. That is why we make it our goal to engage with betting in a thoughtful, transparent, and conscious way. 

We made deliberate choices by focusing the partnership on Counter-Strike 2 and Chess, both games with an older audience and the scope of the partnership covering sports betting alone, not promoting games of chance. We also want this partnership to create real value for the community — whether through community tournaments, great content, or direct support for the scenes we care about. 

Finally, we intend to listen to you, the fans and the wider esports community. It has always been important to us that whatever we do at Team Liquid, we do it with our community in mind. Alongside this letter, we are sharing the approach we are committing to for this partnership. We want to do the best job we can here, so if you have suggestions, do let us know.

Victor “Nazgul” Goossens

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