G2 under fire for promoting CSGO gambling sponsor with pro player m0NESY days after turning 18

Esports organization G2 is under fire for promoting a new partnership with a CSGO gambling site, using their star player Illya “m0nesy” Osipov in their announcement video just days after he turned 18. 

CSGO has had a very long and troubled history with gambling. Due to the nature of its skins, how we can obtain them through cases, and the open marketplace in place to sell them, it has been long mired in gambling scandals. 

From 2016 to 2017, a number of gambling websites using CS skins as currency were shut down due to various controversies involving content creators not disclosing their ownership stakes while promoting them. 

Eventually, throughout 2018 to 2019, various EU governments cracked down on CSGO’s gambling problem, claiming Valve had been promoting gambling to underage players. Though the gambling sites which have spawned from it all still remain largely unregulated. 

Despite all the drama surrounding CSGO gambling, it never stopped teams and tournament organizers from partnering up with gambling sponsors in the field. 

On May 3, G2 announced its newest sponsored partner, CSGORoll. And to reveal the news, they created a video, featuring their recently turned 18 star player, m0NESY. Not shying away from his age, the org even publicly wished the young gun a happy 18th days prior on their Twitter account.

The CSGO community did not react kindly to the nature of this announcement, one involving a young individual only just legally allowed to gamble. OhnePixel, a CS YouTuber who has been long critical of external CS gambling sites, commented, “rare G2 L”. 

The Twitter account for BitSkins, a skin trading website, commented in response, “Why are you promoting unregulated (skin) gambling to [your] underage fanbase?” They continue, “This is a huge problem in the Counter-Strike/Esports community and the team behind G2 Esports should know better.” 

CptnKraken, a skins trader, wrote, “This sets a really dangerous precedent in my opinion. I have so many friends and family members who have had their lives destroyed by gambling.” He further added that gambling addiction is a problem and if anybody is struggling with it to reach out. 

And various commenters pointed out that m0NESY, who is the face of the announcement, had only reached the legal age to gamble just two days prior.