Online gambling has become a real plague of our time, and its most perverted and vile form is the involvement of children and teenagers. The culprits of this tragedy are often streamers, who, thanks to their popularity and influence on the audience, become a direct conduit to addictions. Here we will analyze the most outrageous examples of how, through Counter-Strike, FIFA (now EA Sports FC 25), dubious roulettes and the casino industry as a whole, an entire generation of future gambling addicts is being created.

Table of contents:

1. How do games introduce children to gambling and casinos?

2. How did popular streamers become guides to the world of gambling?

3. CS:GO 2 and Cases: The Path from Game Mechanics to Gambling

4. Dodgy Roulette Sites: How Streamers Trap Kids

5. FIFA and packs: how EA Sports plays on fans' weaknesses

6. Why are streamers opinion leaders for children and teenagers?

7. How to combat this? Advice for parents and platforms.

How do games introduce children to gambling and casinos?

Modern video games have long ceased to be simple entertainment. They increasingly integrate mechanics that can be called "gambling-like". These are mechanisms that cause emotional excitement similar to gambling, such as loot boxes, cases and packs.

Lootboxes: Hidden Gambling in Games

Loot boxes emerged as a monetization tool, but their impact extends beyond the gaming economy. For example, a study in the journal Addiction found that loot box mechanics and gambling activate the same areas of the brain. This is especially dangerous for children, who do not yet have mature self-control.

An example is the game Overwatch , where players buy boxes of cosmetic items. Winning or losing is a matter of "random chance", but the chance of getting a rare item is so small that the mechanics become almost identical to a casino.

Emotional dependence on "winning"

Games use a technique known as "variable reinforcement." This is a strategy in which the player is rewarded in an unpredictable way. This is how slot machines or roulettes work. Video games such as Fortnite, FIFA, or CS: GO 2 use these mechanics to keep players engaged.

Research has also shown that children exposed to loot boxes in games are more likely to become interested in real gambling as teenagers, according to a Royal Society Open Science report , which highlights how children view gambling elements in games as “harmless training.”

The Role of Streamers in Forming Habits

But games alone wouldn't be able to attract children to the world of gambling so effectively. This is where streamers come into the picture. They turn the opening of loot boxes, cases, and packs into a real show, where emotions play a major role. Millions of children watch their favorite bloggers, such as Anomaly or Castro1021 , and they themselves begin to perceive gambling mechanics as the norm.

How did popular streamers become guides to the world of gambling?

In today's world, streamers have become for children and teenagers what rock stars or actors used to be. They are opinion leaders, idols, whose lives are followed by millions. However, not all of them use their influence for positive purposes. Many of them have turned their channels into platforms for promoting dubious gambling sites, from CS: GO 2 cases to online casinos. After seeing a streamer enthusiastically "win" thousands of dollars or rare items, children dream of repeating this, without even realizing that they are falling into a trap.

What is especially dangerous is how cleverly streamers combine gaming and gambling content. One day they entertain their audience with gaming streams in Minecraft or Fortnite, and the next day they open cases with the same enthusiasm, spin roulettes, or, without a twinge of conscience, open casino sites and play slots on the same airwaves. For children, the difference between games and gambling platforms begins to blur. They perceive gambling as part of entertainment, as another game. And this is straight path to dependencies.

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CS: GO 2 and Cases: The Path from Game Mechanics to Gambling

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive 2 (CS: GO 2) has long since evolved from a regular shooter into something more. Valve, the developer, introduced the mechanics of opening cases into the game, which initially seemed like a harmless addition. The player buys a key, opens the case and gets a random item, such as a weapon skin. But here's the important thing: this "randomness" is backed by a complex algorithm that makes the chances of getting a rare item negligible. According to statistics, the probability of getting a valuable skin, such as "AWP Dragon Lore", is only 0.26%.

However, cases have become so popular that they have spawned an entire industry. Today, the CS: GO 2 skin market is worth billions of dollars. Sites like Skinhub, Farmskins, and Hellcase have emerged that offer players the chance to participate in "giveaways" or exchange skins. But it's important to understand that these are all beautifully designed scams. The odds of winning on such platforms are zero, and winnings are often faked to lure in new users.

Dodgy Roulette Sites: How Streamers Trap Kids

One of the most insidious forms of gambling promotion are roulette and "casual game" sites that streamers actively advertise under the guise of entertainment. These platforms, such as CSGOLuck , Hellcase , DatDrop and many others, offer players to bet on skins or simply participate in lotteries. However, their true goal is to lure money using false odds and manipulation. If online casinos are still controlled by licenses and official games from well-known providers, then all these sites with "cases and skins" are absolute anarchy that pumps money out of players and enriches the site owner. It is surprising that the audience on such sites exceeds millions of people per month, and their number is growing every day. But how do they become popular if anyone can see that it is a scam?

How do these sites work?

At first glance, it all looks innocent. The player buys credit or skins, which are converted into bets. Then the roulette or lottery "decides" who will be the winner. But in most cases, the chances of winning are almost non-existent, and even those who win are often pre-programmed bots.

These sites thrive thanks to streamers who lure their audience through referral links. Each registration via such a link brings the blogger money or a percentage of the amount spent. For example, if a viewer loses $100 on the site, the streamer can get up to $30-50. The more viewers participate, the more money the blogger earns.

The scandal involving streamers TmarTn and ProSyndicate , who actively promoted the CSGOLotto website, was especially loud. These bloggers not only promoted the platform, but also turned out to be its owners. They held draws with fake winnings, luring hundreds of thousands of users. This caused a wave of indignation, but such sites only grew in number. Today, streamers receive huge amounts of money for promoting such platforms. The average income of a popular streamer for promoting a roulette site can reach $20,000-50,000 per month , and some top bloggers earn six-figure sums.

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FIFA and packs: how EA Sports plays on fans' weaknesses

If CS: GO 2 cases are a disguised roulette, then the pack system in FIFA (now FC 25) is a real game of chance. FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT), which brings EA Sports billions of dollars annually, is based on a simple mechanic. The player buys packs that may contain a random footballer. The chances of getting a top player like Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe or Cristiano Ronaldo are negligible, but this does not stop fans.

Streamers actively fuel interest in packs by opening them live on air. Bloggers like Castro1021 or Bateson87 spend thousands of dollars opening packs, showing their joy at rare drops. For viewers, this looks like an exciting activity, but few consider that for every $100 spent, they will at best receive virtual garbage.

EA Sports skillfully manipulates players' emotions, creating a sense of addiction. The game's algorithms adjust "lucky" drops so that the player feels like he is one step away from a big win. And children, watching streamers, begin to consider this the norm. For EA Sports, such mechanics are a gold mine. In 2022, FUT revenue was more than $ 1.6 billion, and this figure continues to grow.

In addition, the EA company itself is actively fighting to remain legal and not fall under the laws of the gambling industry and their restrictions.

EA’s loot boxes for #FC25 were just declared legal in Austria! The High Regional Court in Vienna ruled that because FIFA relies on skill, loot boxes don’t count as gambling. Unlike CS, which was fined, EA can still offer FIFA Ultimate Team packs in the country. pic.twitter.com/FZeX2ywbTU

— Casinos In Canada (@casinosinca) October 30, 2024

Why are streamers act like opinion leaders for children and teens?

Streamers play a key role in attracting minors to gambling because of their authority. For teenagers, bloggers are the modern version of superheroes. They are idols whose lives seem perfect. If a streamer demonstrates that casinos or roulettes are fun and safe, children accept this as truth, especially if the content is rotated and the streamer switches between games and online slots several times in a couple of hours.

One of the most powerful tools streamers have is their connection with their audience. Bloggers like xQc, Xposed or Adin Ross, spend hours on live streams, interacting with their viewers. They create a sense of intimacy, as if they were friends with each subscriber. This makes their words especially influential. When such a streamer says that roulette is “just for fun,” children believe him.

Many casinos and roulette sites pay streamers for promotion. In return, the bloggers use emotional tricks, such as "big wins", which create the illusion of success. These wins are often fake, but viewers do not realize this.

Our website already has a whole collection of streamer scammers. We recommend that you take a look at it, perhaps you will find one of your “idols” there and read an honest review of his activities and earnings.

The scale of the problem

Research shows that up to 30% of 12- to 17-year-olds watch gambling streams. This makes them vulnerable to manipulation, especially since most of them do not yet have the critical thinking skills to analyze such situations.

Who earns and how much money is in circulation?

The gambling industry associated with video games is a real financial empire. The CS skins market alone is valued at over $5 billion , while EA Sports’ revenue from FUT exceeds $1.6 billion per year. Online casinos also invest millions of dollars in sponsoring streamers.

How much do streamers earn?

Popular streamers earn huge amounts of money for promoting gambling. For example:

• ProdigyDDK earned up to $1 million a month from casino sponsorships.
• Roshtein and other slot streamers make hundreds of thousands of dollars for streams that look like "regular play."
• Even lesser known bloggers can earn $10,000-20,000 monthly just by promoting referral links.

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How to combat this? Advice for parents and platforms

The first step in combating this problem is awareness. Parents should understand what content their children are watching and discuss the risks of gambling with them. It is also important to limit access to roulette and casino sites by using content blockers.

Platforms like Twitch, Kick and YouTube are required to introduce strict rules for streamers that prohibit the promotion of gambling to minors. There are already successful cases, for example, the restriction of casino advertising on Twitch, but this is not enough, because Kick , created specifically for this purpose, is thriving and gaining more and more popularity.

In addition, legislative initiatives should be pushed to regulate gambling mechanics in video games. Countries like Belgium have already banned loot boxes, and this example should be followed internationally. 

Conclusion: Protecting the Future Generation

Streamers are not just entertaining bloggers, but real influencers who shape the thinking of millions of children. Their influence is incredibly large, and that is why it is so important to understand how they use their popularity. Gambling should never be a part of childhood, and only the joint efforts of parents, platforms, and lawmakers will help protect the new generation from the pitfalls of gambling.

Read also: The best fortnite betting sites and The lol esports betting.