Introduction for Beginners

Skins and the Underground Gambling Industry

Since the Arms Deal Update in August 2013, Valve implemented Weapon Skins, where players could purhcase in-game customizations for their weapons. These skins could be unlocked through opening virtual cases with "keys" that cost $2.49. By selling skins through the Steam-Market place, a virtual, digital economy was formed.

Eventually, certain websites enabled players to gamble their skins through online facilities such as roulette tables, coin flips, and jackpots. However, due to the lack of maintenance and security among the users, anyone of any age could log in and gamble. This meant that a 12 year old teenager had to accessibility to start gambling, despite not meeting the regular age requirement. As a result, many parents reported their children developing serious gambling addictions and unecessary urges to spend money. Thus, in June 2016, two formal lawsuits were filed against these gambling sites and Valve, stating that the sites encouraged underage gambling and undisclosed promotions. Consequentially, most of the sites ceased operation, but several still exist, without the use of Steamworks.

Various prices of skins can range from $0.03 to thousands of dollars.

Some of the most expensive and rarest skins are:

StatTrak Karambit | Ruby - Factory New ($2,000)

StatTrak M4A4 | Howl - Factory New ($2,500)

StatTrak AK-47 | Fire Serpent - Factory New ($3,700)

StatTrak M9 Bayonet | Crimson Web - Factory New ($5,000)

StatTrak Karambit | Crimson Web - Factory New ($12,000)

Souvenir AWP | Dragon Lore - Factory New ($25,000)