CSGO Lounge have released a statement declaring that they have ended their virtual items betting functionality with immediate effect.

The rise of CSGO Lounge as a skin betting platform in the months following the Arms Deal Update in CS:GO’s early history was an instrumental factor in the growth of viewership for competitive matches and indeed helped increase the amount of virtual capital present in the scene.

However, controversy was another feature that went hand-in-hand with CSGOLounge’s success, as , the Polish company’s attempts to , and of course the all proved.

Following other gambling related controversies at the beginning of this summer that centered around the ownership of casino style sites, Valve finally acted against gambling by that included sites that allowed betting on matches (such as CSGOLounge and CSGOFast).

With many waiting to see how the situation would unfold, CSGOLounge first attempted to limit their , but further controversy followed with The Esports Observer alleging that the parent company of Virtus.pro (ESforce Holding) .

In , CSGOLounge have announced that they have closed their virtual item betting functionality with immediate effect (including sister site Dota2Lounge).

The full statement reads:

Dear Community of csgolounge and dota2lounge,

Today we are announcing that we are closing our virtual items betting functionality with immediate effect. Depositing virtual skins and items in order to place a bet is not possible anymore. At the moment we are working on a solution for items withdrawal, please stay tuned for an update on this topic.

Lounge will continue as an esports entertainment and information platform with new features to be released very soon.

On behalf of Borewik, founder of CSGOLounge & Dota2Lounge and the entire Lounge Teams