Today, we announced that we’re partnering with Duelbits and entering the world of esports betting. Duelbits becomes the title sponsor of our Counter-Strike 2 roster, supporting our competitive success, our content for the game such as videos and shows, and fan experiences like community tournaments. We recognize that sports betting is a challenging category, so we want to explain why we’re partnering with Duelbits and how we plan to approach esports betting as responsibly as possible.

In the recent years, esports has had its share of scandals around betting and matchfixing and within the broader gaming/streaming world, there have been operators employing aggressive marketing practices indiscriminately. These bad practices do a lot of harm to our industry, and can do serious harm to our fans, so we take them seriously.

Based on the experiences of our founder and Co-CEO Victor “Nazgul” Goossens as a professional poker player, we have seen that, when done responsibly, gambling can be skillful and add to the sports experience. Supported by Duelbits, the following approach will help guide how we operate in the space:

• We have summarized our core values and code of conduct into a single document that details our expectations for professional integrity, which you can read here. This includes behaviors directly related to betting, and it outlines potential disciplinary actions.
• Our partnership focuses exclusively on sports betting.
• We will promote responsible betting every step of the way. That means clearly visible disclaimers, links to support resources for gambling addiction, and a culture of care.
• Fans are at the center of our partnership, and we want our partnership with Duelbits to add value to the fan experience, not subtract from it, so we will not require signups for our giveaways or community activities.
• We know that some gambling services engage in over-the-top marketing that can mislead audiences. We see betting as an entertainment product, not a way to get rich quick.

We have also created a resource for responsible betting on our own website that includes a test that identifies if you have a sports betting problem and places to go for help — you can read it below. In fact, if you like to bet on sports or esports, we recommend that you read it and take the test yourself.

How to bet responsibly

This partnership with Duelbits would not be possible if not for their support of our approach to esports betting and their willingness to contribute to the esports community. They understand our standards and are working with us to make sure that we are compliant to regulations and that we’re encouraging our audience to bet responsibly. 

For more information about our partnership with Duelbits, and our approach to Esports Betting, please see this letter from Victor.