CSGO Lotto and owners sued over ‘illegal gambling’ allegations

Yesterday Trevor "Tmartn" Martin was snuggling with his dog and apologizing in a YouTube video about his CSGO Lotto ownership; today, he, the gambling site and his business partner are being sued.

In an amended complaint filed today in the Southern District of Florida, CSGO Lotto, Martin and Thomas Cassell have been added to one of two complaints filed against Valve Corporation in the past few weeks.

We’ve reached out to Cassell and Martin and will update this story when they respond.

In the suit, which was filed by an anonymous parent on behalf of their child, Valve is accused of deliberately allowing the creation of a market where players and third-parties trade weapon skins like casino chips. The lawsuits accuse Valve and third-party sites like CSGO Diamonds, CSGO Lounge and CSGO Lotto of allowing millions of Americans to link their individual Steam accounts to websites that allow players to gamble with their CS: GO weapon skins.

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CSGO Lotto is among third-party sites that allow players to place bets on various casino-style games, lotteries, jackpots and other games with Counter-Strike: Global Offensive skins, according to the lawsuit.

Martin and Cassell are the owners of Lotto, according to the site and "they actively promote Lotto as a gambling service, including to minors."

In his video apology yesterday, Martin said that his connection to the site has been a matter of public record since the company was formed in 2015, though some refute that.

He also said that he "does not condone minors under the age of 18 to use CSGO Lotto." Unlike other Counter-Strike betting sites that do allow minors to place bets online, CSGO Lotto only allows legal adults to gamble. "This is and always has been a clearly stated policy available in both the terms of service as well as the initial signup page on the website," Martin said.

The defendant and Martin are both in Florida, according to the suit, and CSGO Lotto is incorporated in Florida.

Update: An attorney representing the CSGO Lotto site had this to say: "Given that there is litigation pending, no further public comments will be given on this matter.  My comments will be contained in legal arguments to the court, at the appropriate time."