Csgo Skin Betting and Motivations

Gambling - Player Motives With Virtual Cosmetic Skins
The Case of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

Abstract
This research investigates the motivational factors behind skin-betting. The research have
found the main motivational factors in why people gamble with virtual cosmetic items, by
conducting a mixed-method approach with a questionnaire and interviews to collect data
results. The results were analysed and evaluated, where the main factors for conducting
skin-gambling were (1) Advancement, (2) Socialising, and (3) Competition gambling. Where
the chance of winning money and gaining profit stood out to be the utmost fundamental
reason for why players from the CS:GO community gamble with skins.
Keywords: Video games, Counter strike, Virtual items, Online Gambling, Online Skin
Betting, Gambling Behavior, Motivational Gambling.
Introduction 6
Research Question 7
Background 8
1.1. The Definition of Gambling and Motivation 8
1.2. Virtual items as material goods 8
Theoretical Framework 11
2.1. Video games as a simulator for real world activities (Baudrillard; Belk; D Owens Jr)
11
2.2. Types of Gambling Content in Video Games 11
2.3. Third-party gambling websites affiliated with CSGO 13
2.4. Gaming & Gambling Motivation 14
1) Advancement (e.g. terms of acquiring items and earn a status) 15
2) Competition (e.g. in terms of betting in esports related matches and winning
over others in bets) 16
3) Socialising (e.g.in terms of gambling with friends or being part of a community
that share same interests), 16
4) Customisation (e.g. in terms of being able to use the skins to change the
appearance of the weapons in game), and 16
5) Escapism (e.g. in terms of escaping from real-life problems and relief stress).
16
2.5. Luck vs Skill based games 16
2.6. Esports association with gambling 17
Methodology 18
Quantitative approach 18
Qualitative approach 19
Results 20
Results from the questionnaire 21
Gender, age distribution 21
Activity in playing CSGO and watching league tournaments 21
Activity and purpose in gambling with CSGO skins 22
Advancement 22
Competition 22
Socialising 23
Customization 23
Escapism 23
Money invested into skin-betting 23
Results from the interviews (Skal cuttes ned) 24
Interviewee #1 24
Escapism 26
Interviewee #2 26
Introduction of the interview 26
Accessibility to CSGO gambling 27
Motives in gambling with skins 27
What motivates you to gamble with skins? 28
Competition and Socialising 28
Interviewee #3 29
Introduction 29
First experience in skin betting 29
Motivation in gambling 29
Network and friends 30
Analysis & Discussion 30

Skins as material goods (Virtual commodities) 30
The purpose of gambling with skins 31
Advancement (e.g. terms of acquiring more skins or rare items to earn a status)
31
Customisation 32
Socialising 32
Competition (e.g. betting on league matches or competing against others in
gambling) 33
Escapism 33
Motivation for the chance of winning in gambling 34
Gambling as a way to bring Excitement and Socialise 34
Discussion 34
Conclusion 36
Bibliography (Work in progress) 37
Appendix I 38
Appendix II 46
Appendix III 52
Interviewguide for csgo gambling motives 52
Appendix IV - Interview transcriptions 54

Danny - Transcription of interviewee #1 (S = Interviewee // D = Myself) 54
Introduction of the interviewee 54
Advancement 58
Competition 59
Customization 60
Escapism 61
Dennis - Transcription of interviewee #2 (A = Interviewee // D = Myself) 62
Introduction of the interviewee 62
Your network/friends 67
Advancement 67
Socializing // Competition 67
Customization 68
Escapism 68
Patrick - Transcription of interviewee #3 (B = Interviewee // D = Myself) 69
Your network/friends // 72
Advancement 72
Competition // Socializing 73
Escapism 74
Customization 74
Introduction
In any circumstance, who would have thought the possibility of virtual cosmetic items
in video games would serve as credits in the world of gambling? For many who are
not familiar with online video games and esports, it would be hard to believe.
However, virtual cosmetic items have already, according to studies, shown to exhibit
value for players, even if they have no impact on the actual gameplay for the
individual player that he can benefit from (Hamari, 2011; Lehdonvitra 2014;
Yamamoto & McArthur, 2016). The items obtained in the video game,
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) can work as credits for 3rd party online
websites, which are specifically designed for gambling.
The value of the items, also known as skins in CS:GO, ranges for as low as three
cents up to $20,000 USD. Each skin has a set of unique attributes that determines
its value. These attributes consist of different aesthetic qualities, such as the exterior
design of the skin and the pattern, whereas the rarity, supply, and demand from the
community also apply to its value (Yamamoto, 2016). The skins are exclusively
designed to be traded among players in a barter free community market – also
known as the Steam Community Market. However, using Steam API has bridged the
gap between third-party services and the Steam Community Market allowing players
to access the services and gamble in unregulated markets online. But what
motivates players to gamble with these skins in unregulated markets?
If we look closer, esports has over the last decade grown at a rapid pace, and it is
continuing to become bigger with technology, has the prospect to become the
mainstream form of competition and entertainment (Martínez, 2017; Holden, 2017).
Consequently, studies have found an emergence of problems with esports, which
are associated to traditional sports as well. These problems are related to
performance-enhancing drugs, gambling disorders, and match-fixing, which are
starting to emerge in the world of esports as well (Holden, 2017, pp. 236).
Gambling has particularly become an immense problem in the community of CS:GO,
since esports already attracts a huge audience of young players, many of them
being underage as a matter of fact. Five billion dollars in 2016 was wagered, where
40% of the bets were on esports matches and tournaments (Assael, 2017). While
rooting for a team in esports can bring enthusiasm and excitement, this research will
investigate some of the factors that motivates players to gamble with virtual cosmetic
skins online.
Research Question
What are the factors that motivates players of Counter Strike: Global Offensive
to gamble with virtual cosmetic items online?
Background
1.1 The Definition of Gambling and Motivation

To start with off with the basics, what is understood by “gambling motivation”? The
term is a combination of two words; gambling and motivation. Describing these two
words allows not only to understand the fundamentals of gambling, but also give a
closer look in how motivation can be associated in gambling-like activities.
Gambling: The term gambling is typically linked with games, where the desired
outcome is winning money or material goods by chance. Though it comes with a
price of something valuable, whether it be items or money. Both valuables are
considered applicable when betting in games of chance, such games could be
conducted through online simulators of casino games, for instance (Binde, 2012).
Motivation: Motivations are typically bound to reasons in doing something desired.

Such reasons could provide certain motives that stimulate someone’s interest and
encourage them in doing something willingly (Binde, 2012).
1.2. Virtual items as material goods

Material goods have for decades typically been used for gambling-like activities.
However, to fully understand how players gamble in CS:GO, the study will address
the different types of material goods used in video games and what value they bring
for the player, as not all items in video games are wagered in online bets.
Virtual commodities have shown to bring certain values for the player inside the
game, as they are objects that can affect mechanical capabilities and change
players’ aesthetic looks. According to Martínez (2017) and Lehdonvirta (2009) virtual
items are classified into three categories, where each have their own attributes that
affect certain aspects of the game. These items can share one or several of the
attributes mentioned and empower players’ capabilities in terms of strength for
instance, while it can also change the aesthetic looks simultaneously. However, the
value of virtual items varies, in terms of how they are used both inside and outside of
the game. Virtual items can empower the player’s mechanical capabilities when
playing, but in certain games they are also considered material goods, when they are
used for selling and trading. The three categories to classify the different types of
items existing in video games are described below:
Functional Items: These items provide certain mechanical advantages for owners in
the game, by enhancing their abilities in beating other players or provide bonuses
that makes it easier to grind materials, level faster or shorten the time spent to
achieve something. These are often considered Pay 2 Win items (P2W) in the
community, because they give certain mechanical advantages over other players in
the game (Hamari, 2010). These items are often apparent in free to play games
(F2P), to fit the game companies’ business models and gain revenue (Martínez,
2017).
Aesthetic Items: In other circumstances, there are items that are simply more
appealing in the sense that they can change the aesthetic looks of a player's
character and weapons, which allow the player to customise his appearance
according to his own personal preference. These types of items only differentiate
players in terms of appearance, thus having no functional element to the gameplay.
Examples of virtual items that fall into this category are the skins used in CS:GO
(Martínez, 2017; Hamari, 2010) .
Social Items: The third category are classified items that also resembles the items
in the aesthetic category. However, with a more distinct status to the owner’s
in-game. These are usually considered rare or exclusive items, as they are only
owned by a minority of the players in the community. Players who owns these type
of items are also earned with a status that distincts them from other players in the
game (Martínez, 2017; Hamari, 2010)
Social items in CS:GO ranges between $50 to $100.000 US dollars in and are only
owned by a minority of the community. In World of Warcraft (WoW) purchasable
mounts are bought for $25 US dollars from the Blizzard Store. Other redeemable
mounts can only be acquired by obtaining certain cards with a scrap code through
the WoW trading card game (TCG). However, since they are no longer available in
the shops, they are considered exclusive items in the game.
Exclusive items also exist in the case of CS:GO, whereas some of them are only
available for a limited amount, unless they are traded, bought off the steam market
or other 3rd party websites. Rare skins such as the “M4A4 | Howl” and “Sticker |
iBUYPOWER (Holo)” are for example items that can no longer be claimed through
case openings and therefore considered exclusive.
Figure 2: iBUYPOWER stickers (left) and M4A4 | Howl (right) are both
considered highly rare aesthetic and social items in the community
These items are considered some of the rarest items in the game (as they are only
available in a limited amount), which can give owners’ a certain status that
distinguishes them from other players who do not own them.
Figure 3: Karambit Lore knife on sale for $1419,76 US dollars in the Steam
Community Market.
Since video games come in different genres, the items embedded in the game serve
for different purposes as well. CS:GO is a competitive first-person shooter (FPS)
game, but the skins do not have any functional ability to the gameplay to empower
players. The purpose of skins are therefore only for cosmetics to change players’
appearance in the game. Hence, the research will only focus on the following two
categories mentioned: (1) Aesthetic and (2) Social items used in CS:GO.
Theoretical Framework
2.1. Video games as a simulator for real world activities

(Baudrillard; Belk; D Owens Jr)
In various asserts video games have been recognised of their ability to simulate real
world activities, allowing people to interact and practice them on digital devices.
Personal computers, laptops, smartphones, tablets and other portable devices have
become an everyday commodity, thus made online gambling more accessible for
both children and adolescents (Gainsbury, 2015; King et al., 2010b; Griffiths &
Wood, 2000; Johansson & Gotestam, 2004; Wood Gupta, Derevensky, & Griffiths,
2004). According to study young people in the age of 15-25 are a risk factor for the
development of problematic gambling, since it has become easier than ever to gain
access in gambling activities, especially if its gamified or associated with any other
video game (Blaszczynski & Nower, 2002; Korn & Shaffer, 1999; Dickson et al.,
2002).
King et al. (2012) suggest that first experiences in gambling are more likely to
happen on the internet by using digital devices, rather than in offline gaming casino
venues. This is partly because gambling games like casino, poker and sports betting
are made freely available for youths through various applications, like Facebook,
Google Play, and Apple iPhone for instance (Owens, 2010). [1]
2.2. Types of Gambling Content in Video Games

Players obtain skins either by random loot drops or through cases that randomly
drop after a match has finished. However, the player will need to buy a key to open a
case that either can be bought from the in-game shop or by trading with other
players in the community. The value of the items in CS:GO is determined by the
community, whereas the exterior design of the skin, it’s rarity, supply and demand
are the most significant factors in determining skins value (Yamamoto, 2016).
Figure 4: Buying a key and opening a case in CSGO.
Case opening in CS:GO is not itself considered a gambling activity, since players are
guaranteed an item from the cases they open. However, the in-game design when
opening a cases, does share certain characteristics to a slot machine that are used
in casinos (Assael, 2017).
Gambling content in video games varies, whereas they in some games are more
apparent than in others. According to King (2012) gambling content in video games
are divided into 3 different categories; (1) standard gambling simulation, (2)
non-standard gambling simulation, and (3) gambling references.
Standard gambling simulation: These simulates casino games that already exist in
the physical world. Typically, these types of simulators are designed to simulate
gambling activity interactively in video games. Examples could be casino games,
including black jack, poker, roulette, slot machines etc. (King et al., 2012).
Non-standard gambling simulation: These are the types of simulators that are
showing gambling tabletops for example, within the video game itself. Hereby, using
in-game credits or other items locked into the game (King et al., 2012). Examples of
interactive gambling simulators are shown in Borderlands 2 with the slot-machine,
Grand Theft Auto 5 (GTA 5) with a casino, and Red Dead Redemption with poker.
These games allow credits that are only used in the game for betting.
Gambling references: These exist in games that has a storyline with gambling
related characters involved. However, they are not providing with any interactive
gambling material for the player (King et al., 2012). Rather, these could be
characters in the game that are associated with gambling, like the protagonist;
Harvey Dent (two-face) who appears in the video game, Batman: Origins.
2.3. Third-party gambling websites affiliated with CSGO
Henden (2017); King et al. (2012) mentions that gambling simulators exist outside of
the game as well, where communities in the game develop their own platforms for
gambling-like activities (King et al., 2012). Video games including EVE Online and
World of Warcraft features different forms of in-game currency that allow
player-operated gambling activities outside of the game. Hence, these activities are
usually supported through third-party services outside of the video game (King et al.
2012; Assael, 2017). Players can therefore wager skins outside of the game, which
are typically not regulated, such as the case with CS:GO in this research.
These types of sites are typically considered unsafe to use, since they are operated
by a community, who are not affiliated with esports leagues or Valve corporation
(Hardenstein, 2017).
In a case in 2016, Valve decided to send an open cease and desist letter to 23
different websites associated with CS:GO gambling (Grove, 2016; McKeand, 2016;
Klepek, 2016). The occurrence happened shortly after when the infamous Twitch
streamer, James “Phantoml0rd” Varga (reaching 143.000 viewers peak once) and
YouTuber Trevor “TmarTn” Martin (3+ million subscribers), were allegedly caught
promoting their own gambling sites (csgolotto.com & csgoshuffle.com) through
twitch.tv and YouTube, and scamming by altering the odds thus increasing their
chances of winning their own bets. As the follower base was huge, many victims
have been scammed and caused losing their skins for a lot of money (Assael, 2017;
Campbell, 2016, Mason, 2018, J. Katz, 2017).
The gambling business chain for CS:GO consisted of at least 23 different websites
(both casino games and sports betting), where players of all ages have been
accessing these sites to gamble and causing problems relative to what real sports
events also experience - including match fixing games, underage gambling, and
gambling disorders (Holden et al., 2017; D. Owens Jr., 2016; Hardenstein, 2017).
Through third-party websites, the CSGO community have easy access to different
simulated casino and sports betting games associated with CS:GO skins. These
online sites allow players to wager skins from their inventory, by transferring them
through Steam bots linked to the gambling services. Steam bots have been
programmed by utilising Steam’s open API, made available for public use by Valve
corporation (Yamamoto & McArthur, 2016, Assael, 2017).
Figure 5: CSGO gambling sites simulating online casino games (roulette & slot
machine).
2.4. Gaming & Gambling Motivation

First and foremost, Yee et al. (2012) describes various reasons for why people engage into
video-games. He also argues that understanding gaming motivations is important, since the
mechanisms in the game are associated with non-gaming applications, which regarding the
study could be third-party websites. According to Yee et al. (2012; 2006b) peoples'
engagement in video games are based on three motivational factors; (1) Achievement, (2)
Social, and (3) Immersion. Subsequently, these three factors are composed of motivational
subcomponents, as shown in his model;
Figure 6: The 3-factor model created by Yee, N. (2006).
The study will be using some subcomponents mentioned in the three-factor model to further
develop a questionnaire and an interview guide suited for motivational gambling behaviour.
However, considering not all the subcomponents in Yee, N. (2006) three-factor model are
considered viable for the study in terms of gambling, the study will articulate the questions
accordingly in the survey and interviews to focus on the motivational factors behind skin
betting.
Just as there are reasons for why people engage in video games, there are also variety
reasons for why people engage in gambling activities. In both cases, some in which are
considered riskier than others can lead to problematic gambling behaviours (Lambe et al.,
2014).
Lampe et al. (2014) mentions three different types of motives, when players engage in
gambling activities: (1) Enhancements motives (e.g experience excitement), (2) Coping
motives (e.g. deal with stress or escape worries), (3) and Social Motives (e.g. celebrate with
friends). All these three factors were modified from the Gambling Motives Questionnaire
(GMQ) developed by Stewart and Zack (2008), to fit the research purpose in measuring
gambling motives of players.
Despite some motivational differences between gambling and gaming, there are found some
similarities that correlates both areas. Both studies show socialisation as a reason for why
people engage in gambling-like activities. Other signs also show players engaging in both
activities because it is fun, exciting and they in a sense take pleasure in winning over others
online. In terms of the consequences, some players see it as a way of escapism to relief
stress and avoid thinking about real life problems.
The study will therefore take the following subcomponents from Yee (2006) into
consideration;
1) Advancement (e.g. terms of acquiring items and earn a status)

This factor will be considered as a desire to acquire more wealth through gambling, by
making profit or to earn a distinct status in game. For example rare skins (knives, music kits,
stickers, classified weapons, souvenir weapons etc.) are high in value that players acquire to
make profit, or for its rarity gain a gain status from (Yamamoto & McArthur, 2016; Martínez,
2017; Hamari, 2010). In other cases it may be a way to improve their intellectual skills in
predicting games they bet on.
2) Competition (e.g. in terms of betting in esports related matches and winning over
others in bets)
Competition is engaged in by players of competitive nature, who immerse themselves in
doing sports gambling by watching and betting on esports leagues and tournament matches.
Additionally it is also a desire in winning over others in gambling, such as Poker, Bingo, Dice
games, etc. Casino players may feel that they are competing with the Blackjack dealer for
example (Binde, 2012; Ocean, 1996).
3) Socialising (e.g.in terms of gambling with friends or being part of a community that
share same interests),
Socialising in gambling will be considered as a way to engage with friends and others who
share same interest in gambling. This could be in terms of exchanging information or discuss
about what team to bet on. Additionally, it could be a way to make new friends or be part of
community groups that share information about gambling etc. People may see it as a way of
getting together and socializing with other people, like in bingo where people play among the
elderly (Binde, 2006; Krauss, 2010; O’Brien Cousins & Witcher, 2004; Ocean, 1996)
4) Customisation (e.g. in terms of being able to use the skins to change the
appearance of the weapons in game), and
Customization will be focusing on players who enjoy accumulating skins to customise their
appearance in game. This could be in terms of getting rare or exclusive skins when
gambling, as they can be aesthetically appealing (McArthur & Yamamoto, 2016, Martínez,
2017)..
5) Escapism (e.g. in terms of escaping from real-life problems and relieving

stress).
Lastly, escapism will be focusing at players who gamble to, for instance, escape, esteem,
excess or relieve stress from the real-life problems they experience after school, work or with
the family. To an extent leisure gambling are found as problem-gambling, where they are
amplified by biological, psychological, environmental and sociocultural factors (Binde, 2012).
2.5. Luck vs Skill based games

To determine whether the participants are playing games that are based on luck or skill in
gambling, the research will be looking at two opposite types of games that exist. Caillois
(2001) distinguishes games into four different categories: Agon, Alea, Mimicry, and IIinx.
Agon: Games in this category are competitive games, where the equality of chances are
artificially created in combat (Caillois, 2001). The adversaries are given the same conditions
and are put to a test with a specific set of attributes (speed, endurance, strength, memory,
skill, ingenuity, intelligence, etc.) to compete against each other. Games like chess or
sportsbetting etc. to measure intelligence are examples of games that fall into this category.
Alea: is the the opposite of Agon, where Caillois (2001) describes these games as more
chance based, where there is a luck-factor to determine the outcome of the game, which the
player has no control over. Alea is the latin name for the game of dice, which signifies and
reveals the favor of destiny (Caillois, 2001). Here, winning is determined by fate rather than
triumphing over an adversary (Caillois, 2001). Casino games, like slot-machines, flip coin
etc. fall into this category.
These are the only two type of categories the research will be using in terms of gambling.
Mimicry & llinx will therefore be excluded from the research.
2.6. Esports association with gambling

As multiple studies (Gainsbury, 2015; Clarke 2008; Clayton, 2002; Hansen & Rossow, 2007;
Lee et al., 2013) suggest that internet gambling has become more accessible for both youths
and adolescents, other studies (Owens, 2016; Holden, 2017; Hardenstein, 2017) also show
esports has become more popular than ever, thanks to the advances in video-streaming
technology and internet broadband. The growth of popularity and accessibility in both
esports and online gambling is interconnected. While esports increasingly attracts millions of
players worldwide to watch, other sites provide players the ability to gamble on the matches
that are broadcast (Hardenstein, 2017; Holden, 2017). Esports have already shown
similarities to traditional sports being hosted by organisations i.e. in terms of both spectating
and gambling. As the popularity of esports has grown over the past decade, so too has the
gambling scene from the outcome of esports matches and tournaments (Hardenstein, 2017).
The last esports event in Columbus Ohio had generated more than 71 million online views
within four days. In estimation, it is believed the wagering in esports would reach up to $23.5
billion dollars by the end of 2020 (Holden, 2017). This showcases the esports scene as a
huge business for investors, stakeholders, entrepreneurs, and athletes.
For example, Hardenstein (2017) mentioned the UK bookmaking site William Hill took more
than 14,000 bets on esports in 2015, which constitutes close to $395.000 US dollars. Other
investors Rahul Sood and Karl Flores launched the site Unikrn (sic), a website to provide
esports followers a place to legally and safely gather, game, and bet on the matches
broadcasted. Team organisations who are sponsored by famous manufacturers of gaming
peripherals and accessories, like Steelseries, Razer, Zowie, and BenQ provide gear for their
players in order to compete..
Esport’s currents state, resembles both the experience and consequences faced in
traditional sports gambling. As the increasing popularity in esports grows, its emergence into
mainstream media rises and the challenges faced in gambling become more lucid for the
public.
The competitive scene in CS:GO has widely become one of the most popular esports games
broadcast online, and among video games contain one of the largest in-game item-economy
(Hardenstein, 2017). This is partly due to the CSGO gambling market, which have had a
tremendous effect in esports ascension, revenue and recognition showcased in various
studies (Assael, 2017; Macey & Hamari, 2018; Rodríguez, 2017; Hardenstein, 2017; Owens
Jr., 2016, Valkama; 2016).
Methodology
This section presents the methods used for both collecting and analysing data to provide
with scientific knowledge and results in motivational gambling with skins. In addition, the
section will consider both the advantages and disadvantages in taking a quantitative and
qualitative methods as an approach for data collection regarding the subject.
For the study a mixed-method approach will be conducted to collect data about gambling
motives with CS:GO skins. Hence, a quantitative method in form of an online questionnaire,
will be sent out to the different communities who are involved in CSGO and esports related
events. It will be followed by a qualitative method in form of an interview for the recruited
participants. The intent of the questionnaire is to gather data from a sample of the
community that are/have been involved in skin-betting. Hereby, investigating some
motivational factors that engages them into gambling-like activities online. The following
questionnaire will also be an approach to recruit potential candidates for an online interview.
In total a maximum of 3 candidates will be chosen for the interview.
3.1 Quantitative approach

According to Griffiths (2010) online questionnaires are the most common used method for
data collection in online gambling and gaming addiction. They provide certain benefits that
makes respondents more inclined to answer questions that are perhaps considered sensitive
or difficult to answer due to ethical concerns. Having easy access and being able to answer
anonymously increases the level of honesty on sensitive topics, including gambling and
gaming addiction (Griffiths 2010). Questionnaires can also benefit in the process of recruiting
participants by advertising on different forums, community hubs, or websites alike that are
related to the topic of the study. The internet thus makes questionnaires a practical place to
advertise, when focusing on a broader demographic area to collect data from (Griffiths,
2010; ). Other studies also suggest that online surveys are efficient methods when
attempting to quantify attitudes and behaviour of larger populations, especially when it is
related to gaming studies that focuses on the behaviour of people (Hamari, 2016; Ho & Wu,
2012; Martínez, 2017; Mäyrä, 2008).
The study will therefore consider the internet as a viable place for questionnaires to collect
data about players’ gambling motives from. However, it may be difficult to verify the data’s
reliability, by determining if the respondents are who they say they are (e.g. if they are
gambling addicts, have spent over $1000 dollars on skins, or if they are over 18 years old)
(Griffiths, 2010). The other disadvantage about using questionnaires is the limited
information on the answers' given (Mäyrä, 2008), since it does not allow the respondents to
elaborate in more detail about their behaviour or motives in terms of the factors given in the
questionnaire. The low number of respondents in the questionnaire can also have an impact
on the validity of the results, if it happens to only be a few responses from the questionnaire,
the reliability of the results and validity of the data can be questioned for viable use.
3.2. Qualitative approach
The qualitative method consists of a variety methodological approaches that intend to
explore human qualities of a specific target group. The qualitative method therefore focuses
on elaborative answers regarding the subject, with an in-depth investigation on the research
area. The method can also contribute, by collecting qualitative responses to high-level
studies, like generating knowledge about people’s habits or behaviour in certain situations
from everyday life.
The qualitative form of study strives to incorporate, illuminate, and problematise the
researcher’s subjectivity. It may be a possible resource to improve the qualifications of the
research process, if there is a research group involved to illuminate the results of the study
(Tanggaard & Brinkmann, 2015). The qualitative approach leans towards to recruit focus
groups for further elaboration and broader answers not quantifiable, whereas data through
the quantitative method cannot be measured or put into an average number. It is rather a
method for investigating cultural probes or human qualities. The method can therefore be
used to immerse into participants’ perception of life and behaviour in everyday life situations,
through their development, thinking, interpretation, habits, and conditions (Tanggaard &
Brinkmann, 2015).
Typically, a semi-structured interview is conducted in qualitative studies, which allows for
more detailed answers on the subject investigated. Here, it could be useful in terms of
understanding a player’s motivations when they engage in gambling activities. What are the
motivational triggers/factors that encourages them to gamble? The questions should
therefore focus on broad, open-ended questions that allow the interviewee latitude in
constructing an answer (Zorn, 2010). Preparing probes for the interview can otherwise help
throughout the interview, but should be used carefully to get more in-depth answers and
opinions of the topic (Boyce et al., 2006).
The intent of the semi-structured interview is therefore meant to engage the participants into
a conversation, and provide valuable information that may result to new knowledge that are
not anticipated by the researcher (Oxfam, 2012). Hence, the process of the interview is
typically going through some sections in a chronological order constructed by the researcher
(Oxfam, 2012).
Setting up the interview

After the recruitment phase is done, the second part of the process is to set up the interview
by introducing both yourself as a researcher and your purpose with the study. Here it is
important that each interviewee gives their informed consent, with an agreement on the level
of confidentiality of the interview (Oxford, 2012). Will it be confidential? In synchronous
(face-2-face) or asynchronous (online) communication? Reported anonymously or with their
name?
The point at the end of the interview, is to make the interviewee feel comfortable in
exchanging information with researcher by asking if they have any further questions for
instance, so it does not appear as a one-way extractive process of information (Oxford,
2012). Here it is important to clarify if they would like to have their name recorded or appear
as anonymous and come on good terms with the testimony (Oxford, 2012).
Results
In this section the results from the questionnaire distributed on multiple CS:GO forums and
the interviews of the participants will be presented. Hereby looking at some users’ motives in
gambling in a more descriptive manner, based on the given answers in the survey
questionnaire and the information of the individuals from the interview sessions.
The survey was answered by a total of 32 respondents in a span of 2-3 weeks (03/04/2018 –
18/04/2018), where some respondents willingly participated in doing an interview thus
elaborate their experience in gambling with skins. The 3 interviews were resourceful and
brought different perspectives on what factors make them gamble online. The data collected
will be analysed through memoing method to highlight the most significant insights of the
interviews, thus code them into the 5 different categories; Advancement, Competition,
Customization, Escapism, Socialism.
Because the total sample of respondents is 38, the research will prioritise less in doing a
statistical analysis of the data. A low sample of respondents in the survey questionnaire, also
limits the ability in conducting more complex statistical tests (i.e., use more variables,
interactions terms and detecting significant results). Consequently, the confidence level is
expected to be low while the margin of error is also likely to be high, which could ultimately
affect the validity of the test results. A conduction of a statistical analysis in the subject, will
therefore be less powerful in doing tests with a small sample.
The aim of the research is therefore to carry out a mixed-method approach, with an analysis
of the data collected from the interviews as well, to provide a better understanding of the
research problem. The results collected from the questionnaire will also be analysed and
discussed by looking at similarities/differences found in other studies to compare and
determine its reliability for further research.
Note: all outputs are available in Appendix 1
4.1. Results from the questionnaire
Gender, age distribution

The sample of respondents is n=38, whereas most of them are males. The total sample is
composed of 37 males (97.4%), with only 1 respondent being a female (2.8%). The low
amount of female respondents is insufficient to evaluate further into the differences between
females and males gambling behaviour and motives.
Initially the questionnaire distributed the ages above 35+ into the following groups: (36-45),
(46-55), (56 or over), but since none of the respondents who participated were in the age of
36 and over, these groups will be excluded from the research. Looking at the rest of age
groups, only 1 of the respondents were in their early adolescence years, 14 or under (2.6%),
while 5 of the respondents are in their late adolescence years, between 15-17 years
(13.2%). More than half of all the respondents are in their early adulthood, where 20 of the
respondents were distributed in the age between 18-23 (52.6%), 10 of them in the age
between 24-28 (26.3%), and the last 2 between 29-35 (5.3%). In sum 81.6% of the
respondents, happened to be in their middle adulthood (18-35 years old), while a portion are
in their adolescence years, between 12-17 years old (16.7%) (see output 1).
Activity in playing CS:GO and watching league tournaments

Among the respondents the majority are actively playing CSGO. 16 of the respondents
(43.2%) play 2-6 times a week, while 12 of them (32.4%) play almost daily. 3 of the total
sample were distributed to play maybe about once a week (8.1%). However, only a few of all
the respondents were inactively playing the game, and whereas 2 answered to play once a
month (5.4%), 2 who answered to play less than once a month (5.4%), and 2 that never
actually play CSGO.
In total 28 (75.6%) of the respondents are considered active players of the game, although
the rest 6 respondents (24.4%) of them were considered inactively playing the game (See
output 2).
Despite that 6 of the total 37 respondents were inactively playing game, some of them would
still watch the CS:GO league tournaments. Only 2 (5.4%) of the respondents answered that
they never watch the CS:GO leagues online, whereas the rest of the respondents were
evenly distributed among all the other categories. The difference between actively and
inactively watching CS:GO league tournaments, were therefore also almost evenly
distributed. In terms of actively watching tournaments, 1 (2.7%) answered to watch almost
every day of the week, 7 respondents (18.9%) answered they watch about 2-6 times a week,
and 8 (21.6%) watch about once a week. This sums about 43.2% of the respondents who
watch CSGO leagues & tournaments actively.
In terms of inactive spectators, there were 8 (21.6%) of the respondents who watch about
once a month, 6 (16.2%) who watch 2-3 times a month, and 5 (13.5%) who watch less than
once a month. In total this sums up 17 (51.3%) of the total 37 respondents, who are
inactively watch CSGO leagues & tournaments (see output 3).
Activity and purpose in gambling with CSGO skins

32 (86.5%) of the respondents had been engaged in some sort of gambling activity with use
of skins the past 2 years, whilst only 5 (13.5%) of them did not participate in any.
Hereby, 17 (45.9%) of all the respondents gamble less than once a month, while 3 (8.1) said
they gamble about once a month, and 8 (21.6%) answered they almost never gamble with
skins. This sums up 28 (75.6%) of inactive gamblers who participated in the survey.
However, a few among the respondents gamble more than once a month. This results into: 2
(5.4%) who gamble about 2-3 times a month, 1 (2.7%) who does it about once a week, and
5 (13.5%) who do it 2-6 times a week. 8 (21.6%) of the respondents who participated are
considered active gamblers (see output 4).
The purpose of gambling with skins were divided into 5 different categories: “Advancement”,
“Competition”, “Socializing”, “Customization”, and “Escapism”. In this section people could
choose to answer on multiple categories. A total of 26 (81.3%) of all the respondents did it
for advancement purposes, being the biggest reason for why they gamble. Only a few of all
the respondents, 8 (25%) found competition as a factor for why they do it, while 10 (31.3%)
do it for socialising (e.g. gambling for fun with friends, or being part of a community with
same interests). Customisation (e.g. use skins in-game and change your appearance) was
another big factor, being the second highest with 18 (56.3%) responds. Lastly, escapism
(e.g. relaxation after work/school/study, avoid real-life problems) was among all the
categories the lowest factor with a total of 4 (12.5 %) responses (see output 5).
In terms of the categories, the participants were further asked on a scale of 1-5 (e.g. where 1
is unimportant and 5 is very important), how important the different factors are when they
gamble online with skins.
Scale: “1” not important, “2” less important, “3” Neutral, “4” important, “5” very important.
Note: The scale of 1-5 were applied to all the categories in the questionnaire when
asked how important the factors were when they gamble with skins.
Advancement
Advancement is among one of the most important factor when people gamble online. In the
results most of the respondents answered 5 with 12 (31.6%) as it being very important, 10
(26.3%) answered 4 as it being important, 10 (26.3%) answers on 3 as it being a fairly
important, 2 (5.3%) answers on it being less important, and 4 (10.5%) on it being not
important at all. While advancement being the most common factor for why people gamble
online with skins, only a few may not find it as important (see output 6).
Competition
Competition is only to a few considered an important factor when they gamble online. Almost
half of all the respondents did not find competition as an important factor when they gamble.
In total 15 (39.5%) of all the respondents answered “1” as it being not important at all, 4
(10.5%) answered “2” as it being less important. 9 (23.7%) answered “3” as it being only a
fairly important, 6 (15.7%) answered 4 as it being important, and 4 (10.5%) answered 5 as it
being very important.
This may indicate most of the respondents participating have little interest in the competitive
scene of CS:GO. leagues and tournaments hosted by organisers are therefore only
considered by a few as an important factor when gambling with skins (see output 7).
Socialising
Socializing has been one of the least important factor when they gamble, although there are
still some mixed opinions on whether the respondents find it important or not. According to
the results, 14 (36.8%) respondents being the highest, do not find it important along with 8
other respondents (21.8%) who find it less important. In terms of whom think it is more
important, 9 (23.7%) find it a fairly important, whereas 6 (15.8%) think it is important, and
only 1 (2.6%) think it is a very important aspect. The results are mixed, but the answers are
still more hinged between the left and the middle part of the scale (1-3) (see output 8).
Customization
The results from customisation is shown to be one of the significant factors when gambling
with skins. Only a few find it not important with 4 (10.5%) answers, and others find it less
important with the number of answers. Opposite 9 (23.7%) of the respondents think it is a
fairly important, whereas it being important had the highest results with 14 (36.8%) answers,
followed by 7 (18.4%) as it being very important. The results show that customisation is
among one of the most important factors, after advancement being the most important one
(see output 9).
Escapism
Escapism has shown to be the least important factor when gambling online with skins. The
results show 21 (55.3%) answers on it being not important along with 5 (13.2%) answers on
it being less important. However, there are still a small portion of the respondents who
believe it has an effect when they gamble, although none of them actually believed it being
very important. A total of 8 (21.1%) respondents believe it is a fairly important, followed by 4
(10.5%) who believe it is important (see output 10).
Money invested into skin-betting

The respondents were given a question about how much money they approximately had
invested into skin-betting. The participants could answer in intervals that goes from:
“Less than 1$ US dollar”, “1$ - $20 US Dollars”, “$21 - $50 US Dollars”, “$51 - $100 US
Dollars”, “$101 - $250 US Dollars”, “$251 - $500 US Dollars”, “$501 - $1000 US Dollars”, to
“More than $1000 US Dollars” (see output 11).
In terms of how much the respondents approximately had invested into skin betting varied a
lot. For instance, 5 (15.8%) of all the respondents had invested less than $1 US dollar in skin
betting (assuming that some of them do not even gamble with skins), whereas 5
respondents used between $1 - $20 US dollars. In record 9 (23.7%) of them spent $21 - $50
US dollars, whereas the second highest in count is 8 (21.1%) responses on $51 - $100 US
dollars. Another 5 had answered in using between $100 – 250, whereas only 1 answered in
spending $251 - $500 dollars for skin betting. Lastly, 4 of the respondents answered in
investing more than $1000 US Dollars in skin-betting.
4.2. Results from the interviews (Skal cuttes ned)

The interviews took place online with 3 different participants, who were willing to talk about
their experience in gambling with skins. The duration of the interviews took between 20-40
min without face-cam, and for their confidentiality it was agreed they would remain
anonymous whilst the session would be recorded.
Interviewee #1
In the first interview, Danny, had picked up the game and started gambling for about 1-2
months now, just recently before Valve Corporation released a new update and added a
seven-day cooldown on skins being traded (Villanueva, 2018). He considers himself a
regular gambler and saw the opportunity of making profit in skin gambling, when he first
started using www.csgogems.com (i.e., website that allows people to gamble skins and
upgrade them by chance). His friends were also one of the reasons for why he started
gambling, as they both used and recommended the site.
“I came up with a tactic and it worked, I put in around 4 pounds and bought 24 pieces of
skins. And then I risked wasting all of them on trying to get 10 times. Like 20 times of what
they are worth. But it was only a 5% chance of that happening. I’ve got it a few times, so I
actually made a bit of money. I went from £4 to like £20 first time I think, and I worked up
slowly now.”
He started gambling mainly because he was inspired by how much revenue his friends also
made in skin-gambling. As he kept winning from small portions he had put in, he continued
using the site. In his opinion, gambling is considered a lot more profitable than buying and
opening cases, especially if players go after the rarest skins in the game:
“I think cases have such a low chance of getting anything good, it’s better to get on gambling
websites […] I saw someone open 600 cases and still didn’t get a knife. One of my friends
has opened 20 cases, it’s not much, but the best thing he got was probably a 10-pounds
skin. Everything else is 30p of that.”
By using csgogems,com, he could get a 45% chance of upgrading his skins to get a better
one. For him It is just extent of what it should be to make money. Danny considers the
appearance of skins important, as it makes even more fun to collect and use afterwards for
wearing. Small features like stickers, also allows him to customise the looks of his skins and
make them look aesthetically appealing in his own way. Nevertheless, he enjoys being in
accompany with his friends, as they recognise and admires him for having good-looking
skins.
“I think when you play with friends and you got a skin they didn’t know you have, and you
confirm to them, it just kind of feels cool. I got the Cortex skin, luckily, whilst I was gambling
when it first came out. So, my friend’s thought it was really good and it made me feel good
about myself that I got it.”
Despite the value and appearance of the skins, Danny considers his skins helpful when he
wears them during matches, as they make him more comfortable in playing and even
perform better. Even though they do not affect the gameplay, he believes it still boosts his
confidence when playing. He might therefore often trades his skins for new ones, if he gets
bored of using the same skins for a long period.
“Yeah, it kind makes me feel like I play better, when I do play with my skins. Even at first
when I started using my skins made me feel, I play better […] When I started, I bought 10
skins off the market, but then I traded them away. Some of them, I still have, but I traded
them because I got bored of them. I wanted new skins that looked a bit cooler”
When his friends show rare knives they have just won from gambling, it spurs him to go after
rare knives as well and conduct gambling-like activities with skins. In circumstances, new
cases with skins also gets introduced to the game when Valve release a new “operation”
update, many players entice to get excited and pursue in getting these skins early release.
However, Danny tends to be more cautious in buying them right away, as they can drop in
value significantly fast.
“When they first come out, they all feel very special, so you are trying to get them straight
away. But some go up in price over time, while others go down in price, so it’s kind of risky
as well. I think one of my friends bought straight away a USP cortex when it first came out,
but over time it’s kind of gone down quite a lot.”
In terms of watching esports, he never gambles on league matches. He explains it is hard to

anticipate and predict teams’ performances even after winning consecutive matches. Every
team can have a bad period thus resulting into losing matches against team they should not
have lost. Needless to say, since he does not always watch the matches live, he watches
them on YouTube instead
“I have never really watches esports, so I have never really gone down on them. I find the
main reason for why I gamble with skins is because I want more skins, it’s the only way I can
get more skins by risking them with gambling.”
In terms of watching streamers, he also gets encouraged to gamble when he sees them win
big prizes on certain websites. Otherwise, he collectively does it together with friends while
waiting for a match for example, to see who either wins or loses most of the money they put
in (e.g. they each agree in putting 2 pounds worth of skins and start gambling).
“I mostly only do with friends, because after finishing a competitive game and we are waiting
for the accept button, it takes like 5 minutes. So we all just kinda go on and be like, “Let’s all
do it 20 times”. Or everyone just put in like 2 pound skin in and let’s see who makes the most
money or loses most money.
Escapism
In terms of choosing to gamble with skins over money, his intentions are not to make profit
by earning more money, but to gain better skins. He finds it more exciting to gamble with
skins and use them afterwards, so he can wear them in game. 3rd party gambling websites
are also more accessible and profitable for him to get the skins he wants, instead of buying
them directly from the steam market and pay a transaction fee of 5% regulated by Valve.
“Because it’s easier to get the skins you want on 3rd party websites than on the steam
market. Because instead of buying a skin that is worth 10 pounds, you have a chance of
getting the same skin for maybe about 1.5 pound. It kinda makes you feel like it’s more
exciting when you do it.”
He finds less excitement in gambling with money, since it just digital money likely to be
regulated when cashing out. However, with CSGO items there is a lot more excitement to it
as there are different variations of them that you can collect. They come in different shapes
and forms, while some can even be considered rare types.
“Because if you would do normal gambling, and then you get the money out of it, it’s alright.
But in CSGO if you win something with gambling, you win cool skins that you’ve always
wanted and it feels a lot better”
(see appendix I: Interviewee #1).
Interviewee #2
Introduction of the interview

The second interviewee, Patrick, saw himself as someone who used to be a regular gambler
when it first came about in 2013-2014. To begin with he was first watching streamers gamble
on www.csgolounge.com (i.e., a 3rd party website that allows people to trade and bet on
competitive matches by using skins). He used to follow the competitive scene a lot more
than he used he to at the time, and therefore decided to try it out with a small amount to
begin with.
His ambition with CSGO started way before its release, since he had already been playing
Counter Strike on a high level when he was younger. He started playing the first Counter
Strike game in its earliest stages (also known as Counter-Strike 1.4), and had been playing
for multiple teams during that time. As he got into CSGO he wanted to become good at the
game and slowly work his way towards playing against professionals as he progressed,
while meeting new people and form a team. But because of the stuff happening in his
personal life, it has brought him to spend less time in playing the game and get anywhere
with it. Despite watching other streaming gamble, his first experience in gambling was when
he watched esports leagues and tournaments, it made competitive matches more exciting to
watch as he had placed bets on them.
“Firstly I could say Phantoml0rd is someone I used to watch quite a lot. And I would see him
win quite a lot skins and stuff, and then I thought I would try and do the same. Not only to
just make money out from the game, but also it made watching competitive games a lot
more exciting, because you had placed a bet on the game.”
Accessibility to CSGO gambling

He would mainly get his skins by opening cases he had gotten, because it made it a lot
more exciting that way. Sometimes he would even stream it for his friends to watch him
opening them, and through that he got most of his rare knives and skins by opening cases.
However, he would only use his skins to gamble on official matches hosted by orgs, as he
considered it the safest way to gamble with his skins. He was well aware of other websites
besides csgolounge, but would never use them because they were risky where players
would get scammed.
“Because I know there are other websites, where you could put skins into a pot and the more
value of the skin the higher chance you have of winning the pot. But I have seen some
people get scammed and stuff like that, so I was too scared.”
He was aware of other websites that could exchange his skins into money to cash out.
However, he was well aware of such websites that scams people as well, so he was always
cautious about using those sites.
Motives in gambling with skins

In terms of the value the skins have for Patrick, he enjoys the sort of status it has given him.
For example when gets recognised by other people in the community, they compliment him
for having great looking skins. He admires the appearance of good looking skins himself, so
when he acquires new skins, he goes for the rare ones that are aesthetically appealing.
“Uhm, not really just because I know, I prefer the high valued ones, but at the same time the
appearance does mean quite a lot. So if the skin is worth a lot of money, but doesn’t look
very nice, I wouldn’t want it. Like to use personally.”
During matches he also feels more comfortable in playing the game with his skins, as it
affects his performance when playing. Wearing rare skins make him look at the game
differently, as opposed to when he does not wear them on other accounts.
“Personally I’d say it’s one of those things like, if I am having a bad game and I am playing
on a smurf account without skins, sometimes I sorta feel like it could because it doesn’t feel
right.
In terms of new operations, he tends to only look after certain rare skins (e.g. rare skins or
gloves), and just trade them with the skins he already owns, since he has a couple of the
most rarest skins in the game (e.g. the iBuyPower stickers).
What motivates you to gamble with skins?

He mainly gets motivated to bet on official league matches in esports to win more money
and make the matches more exciting to watch. However, since he lost a huge bet on one
official matches, he got discouraged to bet high again. And since a lot controversy in CS:GO
had occurred in terms of match-fixing and the shutdown of gambling sites, he also became
more cautious in betting to avoid getting scammed.
“It makes the games more exciting. [...] In the past, long long time ago, I was predicting the
games that I was betting on and I would always get them right, and as I was earning more
and more skins. Just in any sort of gambling, you become more and more cocky. Because
you want to win more, so you suddenly put on higher bets. There was one bet where I lost
probably, if we are being realistic 300 pounds on one bet
Besides betting on matches he sometimes enjoys being in accompany with others, as they
discuss and share knowledge on what team to bet on. Sometimes they would even compete
against each by betting on their own favourite team playing. In that sense, they would have
fun watching the games together and see who the better team was.
Competition and Socialising
As of now he does not consider himself as much of a gambler anymore as he used to be.
However he does still enjoy watching competitive matches. He is debating whether he
should cash-out all his skins, since they are not really being used outside of his inventory.
And since he is satisfied with the skins he has now, he does not care about gambling his
skins away for better ones. If he were to go for any skins he like, he would ust trade some of
his skins to get it.
“It was a long time ago, I used to care about the skins quite a lot, whereas I am at the stage
now, whereas I am debating about selling them, sort of cashing on them now.”
He never used any other sites than csgolounge, so ever since Valve prohibited the
community from using the site to bet on matches, he stopped gambling afterwards as there
were no other trustworthy sites for him to use.
“Possibly, it has sorta changed a bit after the gambling scene with CS:GO, as far as I am
aware, CS:GO lounge you can’t bet skins now”
He also never considered to exchanging his skins into credits to gamble, as the sites usually
regulate the money after withdrawal. He considers skin betting easily accessible and best
way to make money on the long term. For instance he has hold onto some of the rarest
stickers in the game in (e.g. iBuyPower and Titan stickers, each ranging from $4000 to
$8000 dollars), which were not worth more than $15 dollars in 2014 when they first came
out.
Interviewee #3
Introduction
The third and last interview, Dennis, was another participant who considered himself
someone who used to be a regular gambler. He started gambling when his friend
encouraged him to try it out, since there were many safe and easy bets. His friend had
shared some of his knowledge in the field, and he therefore considered him as one of his
adviser when betting on matches. By the time he started gambling, he used
www.csgolounge.com for skin betting. However, his ambition with CS:GO was mainly to
become good at the game, which eventually led him to become a semi-professional and play
for a team. Gambling was more of a side-activity he would do throughout the time he played,
his goal with gambling was therefore not about acquiring more and better looking skins, but
more about the money by gambling with the skins he already gained from case openings
and drops after matches. In the beginning he would also only start betting with a small
amount.
First experience in skin betting
“At first I started with money, but then I started with skins because I had so many bad skins
from drops in competitive matches. I get a lot of default skins throughout the time I played.
And they are only like 10-20 cents worth, so I used these skins to gamble with.
He described his first experience in skin-gambling, as an exciting and satisfying experiencing

as he won the first few times. He continued gambling with skins and slowly got the habit of it
for a period. However, if it was not for his friends, he would not have started gambling and
expect to gain any profit from betting on matches alone.
“Well it gives me excitement. It does make me feel better, because you win some money.
Because of it, it always felt good for me. In the beginning I felt excited to win money, but
when I kept winning skins I would even sometimes feel better.
Motivation in gambling
Despite it being exciting and satisfying when winning, the skins did not have value to him
inside the game, He described skins as something to just show-off with, which did not really
affect his performance when playing. Skins were nothing more but cosmetics to customise
his appearance in game, he only cared about the knives as they provided certain
animations. Nevertheless, he was more focused in playing the game and become a
professional, despite having a few good looking skins.
“It’s just that I didn’t feel like they had a big impact, because most of them didn’t look so
good or appeal to me. They were just skins to showoff with for me, not something I cared
about. Skins are just skins for me, I am just playing the game. [...] For example the butterfly
knife, it has a cool flip when you pull it out and it has a cool animation when you inspect it.
That’s what I like. It’s not about the pattern of the skin that I care about, it’s just the
animation.”
After he got bored with betting and watching competitive matches, he began using another
site to increase his chances of winning bigger prizes with instant results. He used the site
www.csgocoinflip.com (i.e., 3rd party website to gamble skins with a 50% chance of
winning), after he had seen a video of a YouTuber that was promoting and advertising the
site. In other cases, he would watch famous streamers win $10.000 worth of skins in a pool
on other websites (csgolotto), which was really exciting to watch. However, he did not
participate in any of those big pools, since he was well aware the chances of winning was
low and hazardous.
“Yeah, there was a streamer I watched, who was called Phantoml0rd. I used to watch him
gamble on stream [...] if I put in 20 dollars worth of skins, there are some people who snipes
you on the website. For example if you put in 5000 dollars skins on the website you get a
higher chance of winning the pool. The more amount of money you put in, the bigger the
chances are of winning, but you risk losing it all as well.”
As he continued using the site csgocoinflip, he progressively won more money over time,
enough to buy himself his first knife. He started off with a small amount of and slowly betted
his way up to buy himself a knife worth more than €100 euros. He considered it not only as a
faster method but also easy accessible and simple execute.
“I started off with 5 and ended up with somewhere 100. Well it could be lower, but it was
around 100. Off the money I earned from the website I bought a knife, and that’s how I got
my knife. It’s fast, safe and it’s simple.”
Network and friends

In terms of gambling, he would usually do it alone but ask for his friends for information. He
does not find it exciting anymore to watch together with friends, but he does enjoy discussing
with his friends on what teams to bet on according to their recent performances.
“No alone, when it was my money and skins, I would just do it alone. [...] with friends
It’s fun to discuss about what matches to bet on”
Analysis & Discussion

In this section the data and results presented will be analysed, by utilising the relevant theory
introduced in the theoretical framework section. The results will therefore be interpreted
scientifically to understand the motives behind skin-gambling.
5.1 Skins as material goods (Virtual commodities)

Material goods are essential for anyone who engages in a gambling activity, as they are
valuable objects people can bet with and potentially gain profit from. The virtual commodities
in CSGO are considered material goods, since they are not only tradable but also sellable
through the Steam Community Market (Martínez, 2017; Yamamoto & McArthur, 2016).
Nielsen & Grabarczyk (2018) consider skins as embedded items that are not only
purchasable with real money, but they are also objects that can be sold through external
websites to gain real-world currency. Despite how skins are used inside or outside of the
game, they are virtual commodities that organisations and groups can start a business in, by
providing external services that allow players to gamble with skins and exchange them into
real money.
5.2 The purpose of gambling with skins

Lehdonvirta (2009) classified video game items into 3 different categories; “Functional”,
“Aesthethic” and “Social”. While the the skins in CSGO are purely aesthetic and social type
of items (Martínez, 2017), there are various reasons for why people gamble and what type of
gambling game they engage themselves into to accumulate skins.
In theory, the common reasons for why people engage themselves in playing video games
are based on factors associated with intrinsic motivation (e.g., the fun of playing the game)
and extrinsic motivations (e.g. material gain or reputation among peers). Hereby other
factors are also included to relief stress, have fun, and relax (Martínez, 2017; Georgieva et
al. 2015; Hamari & Jarvinen, 2011; ).
However, in terms of gambling there are a few differences in what motivates people to
gamble, but where winning money being the overt reason (Binde, 2012).
The research sees a correlation between the motivations in playing video games presented
by Yee’s (2006) and motivations in gambling described by Binde (2012). The factors have
therefore been modified accordingly and distributed among five different categories to suit
the research purpose in evaluating players’ gambling behavior. The following categories will
be the main components used: (1) Advancement, (2) Competition, (3) Socializing, (4)
Customization,and (5) Escapism in analysing and evaluating the results from both the
questionnaire and interviews.
According to the results from the survey; “Advancement” with 26 answers (81.3%) and
“Customization” with 18 answers (56.3%) are considered the two main factors in why people
choose to gamble. Whereas “Competition” and “Socializing” had significantly less answers,
resulting to 8 (25%) and 10 (31.3%) answers of the respondents. Lastly, “Escapism” is
considered the least significant factor, resulting to only 4 (12.5%) of all the respondents who
believe it has a purpose when gambling.1
Advancement (e.g. terms of acquiring more skins or rare items to earn a status)
The results from advancement and customisation are reasonably high, as expected, since
players have a higher chance of getting rare skins (e.g. knives, classified/covert weapons)
from winning bets. Rare skins are usually aesthetically appealing, whereas certain attributes
can affect the value and price of the skin on the market (Yamamoto, 2017). Skins were
created only to be used in the steam market for selling or trading as material goods and to
be worn inside the game to change appearance of weapons in the game. However, because
of the link between external websites and steam community market, skins can be exchanged
into real-world currency to make profit, which therefore make them as “embedded” items
(virtual sellable objects) in the random reward mechanisms (RRMs) table made by Nielsen &
Grabarczyk (2018).
In other words, skins are accumulated to make money as profit and since winning money is
the most overt reason to gamble (Binde, 2012), it therefore makes sense that the
respondents find advancement as the most significant factor when gambling. Overall, a total
of 22 (57.9%) considered it as an important factor when gambling.
Customisation
In terms of customisation, the skins come in different designs, shapes, and patterns that
otherwise determine the price and value of the skins, but are also used as a way to
customise players’ appearance in the game to stand out more visually - this is commonly
known as hedonic consumption (Martínez, 2017; Grimes, 2014). Alternatively rare/exclusive
skins provide players a higher status to gain social recognition and impress others, which is
referred to as conspicuous consumption (Martínez; Grimes, 2014). According to Martínez
(2017) customisation is the utmost important factor when people purchase skins, where
1
Note: Each participant had the option to check on multiple reasons for why they gamble.
more than half (51.3%) of all 1000 respondents purchase skins to customise their
appearance in the game.
In this research, the results show that customisation appears also to be the main factor when
gambling, whereas the only difference being they risk losing skins instead of spending
money to get rewards. External websites may provide a higher chance of accumulating rare
and exclusive skins compared to opening cases inside the game, but with a high-cost factor
as well. As rare/exclusive skins are virtual commodities that gives players social recognition
for their aesthetic looks and value, they are highly wanted skins in the community. This fact
is also reinforced by looking at the respondents, who consider it an important factor. By
combining the answers in variable “4” (Important) and “5” (very important), more than half
with 21 (55.2%) of all respondents consider it an important factor.
Socialising
In regards to socialising, 10 (31.3%) of all the respondents believed it having an influence
when they gamble. However, only a few believed it to be important with 7 (18.4%) answers.
This shows that even though a few people gamble because of socialising the majority
prefers doing it alone, whether that is because they engage in either sportsbetting (skill) or
casino (luck) games that is unknown. Although, it is likely that players in sportsbetting are
more likely accompanied and dependent on their social network to increase their chances of
winning bets and to enjoy the activity of gambling. Since gambling is a solitary activity for
some players, the social dimension is important to many as it makes gambling more
interesting and fun in various ways than if they had to gamble alone (Binde, 2012). However,
the high percentage of respondents who consider socialisation as to be one of the least
significant factor when gambling, indicates that the majority may spend their time in
gambling by playing on more luck based games, such as blackjack, slot-machines, coinflip
etc.
Competition (e.g. betting on league matches or competing against others in

gambling)
Considering that esports offers an established and readily available arena for teams to
compete against each other, it is expected to make gambling more attractive for people of
competitive nature (Binde, 2012). However, there was only 8 (25%) of all respondents, who
considered competition to be a factor when gambling thus making it one of the least
significant factors.
The results were surprising, since esports affiliation with gambling have spurred many
players in the community to do sports-betting (Hardenstein, 2016; Holden, 2017; Owens Jr.
2017). Csgolounge was among the most popular sports betting sites (skins) for CS:GO
tournament and leagues. However, Valve sent an open letter to shut down multiple gambling
sites including csgolounge, when the scandal following the ban of “Phantoml0rd” and
“Tmartn” in 2016 occurred (Assael, 2017; Leslie, 2016). This may be the possibility for why
many of the respondents, did not consider competition as an important factor, since there
were not many available (skin)gambling sites for the community to use anymore. In addition,
following the changes regarding the 7-day trading cooldown implemented from Valve have
slowed down the whole process of transferring and trading skins between bots & players,
thus making the whole experience of gambling at its worst possible state. An employee at
Valve, John McDonald (2018), tweeted;
“Support tickets do not agree with you--there has been a 70% decrease in the number of
scamming tickets filed. While we will continue to monitor trade (yes, we see your petition), it
is exceedingly unlikely we will revert it” (McDonald, 2018).
In response to a player from the community, who asked to revert the 7-day trading cooldown
back to what it originally was before. Seemingly, this update has ultimately changed how
people gamble with skins, as it has shown to have significant results to counter gambling
activities and scammers (McDonald, 2018).
Escapism
“Escapism” was the insignificant factor when gambling, since not all considered
skin-gambling as a way to relax after work or relief stress to avoid real-life problems. Only 4
(10.5%) of all respondents believed it having an impact and it being an important factor for
either relaxation, relieving stress or avoiding real-life problems when gambling - also
commonly known as Mood Change according to Binde (2012). Leisure gamblers or problem
gamblers fall into this category, since they may be amplified by psychological factors. The
dopamine system when winning in casino games may therefore play an important role in
addictive behaviours, especially if it is a significant win done early in one’s gambling career
(Binde, 2012).
Escapism, may therefore anticipate the 4 respondents to be either be leisure gamblers or
problem gamblers, who see engagement in casino games, such as slot-machines, blackjack,
coin-flip etc. as an activity for relaxation to relieve stress that they enjoy doing alone (Binde,
2012).
5.3. Motivation for the chance of winning in gambling

By taking the interviews into consideration, one common factor of why players gamble with
skins was the chance of winning more money or valuable skins as profit. Binde (2012) also
describes the chance of winning as the core factor of gambling, since it is a key
characteristic of gambling presented in all gambling-like games. Chance of winning is
essentially what gambling is about.
Another correlation between all interviews was that they all started investing into skins with a
small amount money to gamble with, and progressively made profit in their gambling career.
For instance, (1) Danny, mentions his first experience, when he got £20 out of £4 worth of
skins, by gambling on csgogems.com (Alea - chance based gambling). (2) Dennis mentions
that he used both csgolounge.com (Agon - skill based gambling) and csgoflipcoin.com (Alea
- chance based gambling) to make enough profit in buying himself a knife worth $100 dollars
(rare skin). (3) Patrick mentioned that he only used csgolounge.com as well to accumulate
more skins, however he mostly got his rare and exclusive skins through case openings (Alea
- chance based gambling), and eventually made an inventory worth $4685.66 with skins.
5.4. Gambling as a way to bring Excitement and Socialise
According to the interviews, two of the interviewees saw excitement in gambling, when they
bet on esport leagues and tournaments. For instance, Dennis, began his gambling career by
betting on official matches, as it made it more exciting to watch the tournaments. While
Patrick, had similar expressions when using csgolounge.com. In addition they both saw it as
a socialistic activity to do, when they exchanged information and discussed with friends
about what matches to bet on. Talking with friends who shared same interest, made it more
of a comfortable experience to do, as it sometimes lowered their chances of losing bets and
enjoy the matches together. In addition, gambling with friends also increased their skills at
predicting games alone but made it overall a social activity to do among friends.
Dennis found customisation as an insignificant factor when he gambles, as he was more
motivated by advancement reasons to win more skins and eventually make profit from it by
exchanging them. Skins had no impact on his performance when playing, and therefore saw
customisation as a least motivating factor. Whereas Patrick & Danny feel the opposite, as
they had expressed that aesthetically appealing skins make them more comfortable in
playing thus perform better.
Danny also expressed gambling as an exciting and a social activity to do, as he also started
doing gambling because of his friends. However, he was more focused on the chance based
gambling games (Alea) together with his friends, in contrast to Dennis and Patrick. He also
prioritised customisation as a higher factor in gambling than advancement, as he enjoyed
wearing aesthetically appealing skins that he liked despite them having a low value.
Discussion
A lot of these motivations in terms of: Advancement, Customisation, Socialising, and
Competition expressed from the interviews and questionnaire correlates to Binde (2012)
research about gambling motivations. He describes socialising, competition, and
advancement as common motivations as well for why people gamble, as it brings out certain
emotions out of people that induces the brain’s reward system with positive feelings of
expectation, pleasure and satisfaction when winning bets.
According to Binde (2012) the chance of winning is a prospect of receiving more than what is
given, thus making winning a more profitable experience despite the stakes. He argues that
it is both an emotional and symbolic power from two domains, the “biopsychological” and the
“sociocultural”.
The biopsychological domain is where the brain’s reward system is induced with positive
feelings of emotions when something good was anticipated and received (Binde, 2012),
especially if it is a high reward received from winning, such as rare or exclusive skins.
Hence, it is a motivating experience, when players engage themselves into
gambling-like activities that offer the chance of a positive reward; as they may feel a
pleasurable experience and satisfaction when receiving the reward they have won from
betting on the gambling site. The most commonly known gambling game for example, slot
machines, have been designed to intensify anticipation and make rewards salient. (Binde,
2012; Harrigan, 2007). Roulettes and slot machines, would become boring if nothing of value
were at stake; money makes gambling involving, exciting and consequential (Binde, 2012).
This may further explain why the majority of the respondents see chance based
gambling (Alea) as the preferred type of game in gambling, as they induce the brain’s reward
system with a higher pleasurable experience and satisfaction when winning compared to
skill based gambling (Agon). For instance, Danny and Dennis also expressed that they
mostly accumulated their skins from playing in chance based games (Alea) as it felt more
exciting and rewarding than betting on matches.
The sociocultural domain, claims that gambling activities are charged with positive cultural
meanings, in which can question the meaning behind gambling for example (Binde, 2012). Is
it because of the excitement, amusement, learning, profit or relaxation that makes people
wanna gamble with skins? Does it improve their quality life gambling with friends or enhance
their economy by making profit through gambling?
Whether the interviewees actually made profit from gambling as they claim is
incomprehensible for this research to evaluate on, since there has been no documentation
provided to look at how much time and money they have spent on gambling sites, and what
total earnings they have made from winning in bets. In other cases, the research can also
not evaluate on if they gambled because of social problems in real life, unless they have
admitted in doing it because of family problems for instance. However, socialising does
seem to have a significant role when people engage in gambling activities, as, some had
claimed they would not even have started gambling, if it was because of their friends.
Gambling is afterall a solitary activity for some people (Binde, 2012), since it can become a
social dimension for some to make them gamble more together with friends rather than
doing it alone.
Gambling is a controversial topic because it can lead to a variety of socialistic problems as

well. For instance, Assael (2017) documented how CS:GO gambling had turned a
16-year-old gamer into a compulsive gambler, who had $8365.02 US Dollars worth of skins,
where most of them were purchased from his parents money.
Gambling in CS:GO in 2016 had become so big, where twitch streamers and YouTubers
alike only showed footage of them gambling with the use of skins rather than actually playing
the game, such as the case with “Phantoml0rd” and “Tmartn”. In addition, two of the
respondents from the questionnaire also answered in having participated in gambling-like
activities with skins, but did not actively play CS:GO.
Conclusion
This research is going to answer the following RQ: “What are the factors that motivates
players of Counter Strike: Global Offensive to gamble with virtual cosmetic items online?”
The research firstly introduced some background information about the topic by providing a
definition of “Gambling Motivation” and how virtual commodities (skins) in CS:GO are used
as material goods for gambling. Followed by a theoretical framework with a description of the
5 different factors: (1) Advancement, (2) Customisation, (3) Socialising, (4) Competition, and
(5) Escapism that was specifically designed for the research in: (1) collecting the data about
motivational gambling behavior with a mixed-method approach, (2) analysing the results
through memoing and coding, and (3) evaluating the players’ motivational behavior in
gambling with skins, according to the 5 factors. Followed by a discussion to provide with new
scientific knowledge about why players gamble with skins.
The mixed-method approach provided with considerable results about both the main and
minor factors in why players gamble with skins. According to the questionnaire,
Advancement and Customisation are the two main factors, whereas Competition and
Socialising showed to have a less influence, and Escapism as being the least significant
factor when people gamble. This was then followed by the results of the interviews, where
the most the significant insights were highlighted.
The analysis coded the results from both the questionnaire and interviews into the 5 different
factors, which were interpreted in a scientific manner to provide new knowledge about the
field in skin betting behavior, by utilising the theory introduced in the theoretical framework
section. The analysis followed by a discussion, had found out that the chance of winning
money in gambling is the utmost fundamental reason for why people gamble with skins, to
potentially make profit through either skill-based (Agon) or chance-based (Alea) gambling
games, where Alea based games being the most preferred type of gambling game, as the
interviewees feel a more intensified and pleasurable experience when winning something
big. This is also associated with how many available Agon based sites there are in
comparison to Alea based gambling-sites, since the occurrence of the CS:GO scandal in
2016.
Socialising and Competition showed also to be highly impactful factors for why people
gamble, since gambling can be experienced as a solitary activity for some people. People
may feel more excitement in betting on matches they have discussed within their social
network.
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Appendix I
This appendix section shows all the results from the questionnaire in graphs, which were
done using Google Form to create and analyse surveys.
Link to the survey results: https://goo.gl/forms/qQXf8uQKsu8jmASI2
Output 1
Output 2
Output 3
Output 4
Output 5
Output 6
Output 7
Output 8
Output 9
Output 10
Output 11
Output 12
Output 13
Output 14
Appendix II
Survey questionnaire
Appendix III
Interviewguide
Interviewguide for csgo gambling motives

Part 1: The introduction
Introduction of myself and the purpose of the study
● My name: Daniel // age: 23 // country: Denmark // University: IT University of
Copenhagen // Study: Digital Media and Design
● Purpose of the study:
● An investigation of players’ motives in skin gambling
● Consent and confidentiality:
● Voice/video recorder? // Anonymous?
Introduction of the interviewee and first experience with gambling

· Name, age and location (?)
· Do you see yourself as a regular gambler?
· What got you into csgo gambling to begin with?
· What was your first experience like?
· What are your ambitions with CSGO?
o Become a professional athlete, have fun, gain more skins,
become better etc.?
· Do you buy items or open crates to get skins?
Part 2 Setting up the interview
· How do you gain access to csgo gambling sites and what are/have been the most
common sites that you use(d)?
· How do you gamble with your skins, online or offline?
o Do you convert them into credits, trade them?

· Do skins mean something to you?
o As something valuable even it has no impact on your performance?
o Do you use them more for gambling or to wear them in game to change
the appearance of your weapons?
o What is it that make you want to have more skins?
· What motivates you to gamble with skins?
o When you watch esports events or leagues?
o When you are together with friends or part of a community with same
interest?
o When you watched famous streamers or YouTubers alike who gamble?
o If there is a new “operation” update?
o Other possibilities?
· Your network/friends
o Are they your online or offline friends you spend time with?
o Do your friends gamble with skins too and do you talk about it together?
o Do you maybe feel like there is a prestige between your friends in
having better skins?
· Advancement
o How important is it for you to have skins?
o How important is it for you to acquire rare skins in the game, such as
knives etc.?
o Is it important for you to have a high status when you own skins?
o Is it important for you to accumulate resources, items or money?
o Do you enjoy being in accompany with others who share same interest
in the items like you?
· Competition
o How much do you enjoy competing with others when you gamble?
o How much do you enjoy watching leagues and tournament when you
gamble?
§ Do you feel more excitement in gambling in these circumstances?
§ Do you bet against your friends?
o
· Socializing
o Do you sometimes bet with friends or others in your network, and how
much do you enjoy it?
o Are you part of a gambling group that or maybe a community that share
same interest in betting online?
o Do you prefer betting alone or in accompany with others?
§ How often do you do it alone // with friends?
· Customization
o How important is for you in being able to use the items in the game and
customize your appearance?
o Is it important for you took different from others?
· Escapism
o Do you often gamble to avoid thinking about some of your real-life
problems or worries?
o Do you relax to gamble after work perhaps?
o Do you feel like that gambling often times allow you to distress from
others or the real world?
§ How important is that to you?
Part 3 End of interview
· Do you have any further questions, maybe regarding the study?
· Can I use your real name or do you prefer being anonymous?
· Thanks for your time and participation.
Appendix IV - Interview transcriptions
Danny - Transcription of interviewee #1 (S = Interviewee // D = Myself)

S: Okay
D: I don't know if you have heard of it
S: Oh no I have, CSGO lounge. Yeah only started a few weeks maybe a month ago. But I
got really lucky so I actually kept trying it out.
D: Did you actually win stuff?
S: Yeah. I came up with a tactic and it worked, like so I put it in around 4 pounds and bought
24 pieces of skins. And then I risked wasting all of them on trying to get a 10 times. Like 20
times of what they are worth. But it was only a 5% chance of that happening. I've got it a few
times, so I actually made quite a bit of money. I went from £4 to like £20 first time I think,
and I worked up slowly now.
D: Woah that’s crazy
S: Yeah I got my knife just from £4 at the start, But the knife is still on the website so I
haven't gotten it in my inventory yet.
D: Did you tell them though or do you still have them?
S: Oh no I traded them all up for one knife. But wondered website is back up I will get the
knife back.
D: Ah, nice. I think it's a decent introduction of yourself. What is actually your name?
S: Danny
D: By the way is it okay if I record this interview because I have to transcribe it later, And I
won't give it out to anyone.
Introduction of the interviewee

S: Yeah, sure.
D: But you see yourself as a regular Gambler right?
S: um, yeah
D: And have you gamble a lot the past month or week?
S: It started like a month ago, and it probably went on, like everyday or every other day.
D: Okay, Is it in terms of when you watch csgo? Because there is some people who watch
esports and then they decide to bet on those matches with skins.
S: I cannot more risk losing my skins to get a better skin. I have not put on money onto any
betting website, I have just put skins in and traded them up slowly
D: What actually got you into CS GO gambling to begin with?
S: Well it was basically my friends on CS GO, And they have all got a hundreds pounds of
Skins Just from opening cases and gambling on the gambling websites. I went through
thought I might as well try it.
D: I see that's actually interesting. I think a lot of people start get into gambling because of
their friends
S: yeah, because they all have really nice skins just by putting in a bit of money. So I
thought I might as well give it a bit of a try because I might get lucky.
D: I think you already described your first experience with gambling when you only had like
5% chance of winning?
S: Yeah
D: Was that your first experience with it?
S: yeah I had 10 40p skins, And a 5% chance of winning any pound of skin. I lost my first 4,
and then won my second two. So I already made profit, So I kept going and won another
one. So I won 3 out of that 10, with only 5% chance.
D: I had a friend once who lost 3000 worth of Skins after he just kept going by winning the
first jackpot.
S: Yeah see that quite a lot, People start really small And eventually get a knife. And then
lose the knife
D: What's your ambition with CS GO, do you play to become big or improve or?
S: Well I play CS go with my friends, just for fun because I enjoy it. But skins are kinda just
cool, so I want to have them. So I am just trying to get them.
D: So it makes the whole experience just cool, right?
S: Yeah, I play with my friends and we all just got good skins, it just feels a lot more fun.
D: But at the same time you played a game to improve as well right?
S: Yeah
D: Do you find it more exciting to play the game when you have the Skins?
S: Improving is my main aim, but when I got skins it just feels like a nicer experience. For
example when I do look down on my AK, It just looks really nice which makes it more fun.

D: How do you get your items, do you buy a lot of keys to open crates?
S: I put £10 into CS GO, and then went onto the market and bought quite a few skins that I
liked And then from those Skins I put a few of them into gambling sites, and that's how I got
most of my skins now.
D: So you just started from scratch with a small amount, and started getting more and more
and more afterwards.
S: Yeah, I think cases have such a low chance of getting anything good, it's better to
get on gambling websites.
D: Yeah I once saw a streamer, Onscreen, You probably heard of Onscreen right?
S: yeah
D: He showed everyone how low of a possibility it is to get a knife from opening
cases.
S: Yeah I think I saw someone open 600 crates and still didn't get a knife
D: I was really lucky myself to get a knife just by opening 1 case with 1 key.
S: That's so lucky, One of my friends has open like 20 cases, It's not much, But the
best thing he got was probably a £10 skin. Everything else is like 30p of that.
D: yeah the amount is really low and the chances of getting a knife is also low
D: Moving on I'm curious to know how you gain access to the sites, Like you
mentioned CS GO gem right?
S: yeah I'll link it in the chat
D: Is that the only one you used?
S: Yes yes CSGO gems is the only one I've used and made money. But I tried CS GO skins
one time, which is another website. I lost straight away, I think it was a lot worse, So CS GO
gems is the only one I've used properly.
D: There is no other and you have only used those two, right?
S: All the others that I found looks a bit fishy like they don’t look trustworthy enough.
D: Yeah I get what you mean
S: And plus CS GO gems is the one of my friend used, so I just stuck with that
D: But when you actually gamble do you trade up your skins how do you transfer them into
credits.
S: I normaly trade up my skins for a chance to get a better skin
D: Ah so that's how it works
S: For sale if you put in a £10 skin and you want a skin of £20, there's a 45% chance of
getting that £20 skin. So it’s just under what it should be to make money
D: Do you also gamble offline perhaps instead of online?
S: No only gamble related to CS GO skins

- Do skins mean something to you?
D: What does Skins mean to you? Does it show any qualities when you use them, like what
is so cool about them?
S: I feel like CS GO is fun but when you got skins to collect It makes it more fun. It’s like I got
an AK, but then I sold my AK and bought a different AK because it got different stickers on.
So when I used it in game it just looks a lot cooler. I think when you play with friends and you
got a skin they didn't know you have, and you confirm to them, it just kind of feels cool. I got
the Cortex luckily, whilst I was gambling, when it first came out So my friend's thought it was
really good and it made me feel good about myself that I got it.
D: It's also because it has value right. Especially if they are rare?
S: Yeah because I luckily got a special SG553 skin that I bought on the market for like 80p
because it looked quite cool. But it turned out I got stickers on it that made it worth 10
pounds, so that just kinda made it feel more special than a normal gun. In fact like it was one
of a kind.
D: You think of Skins I can imagine people who don't spend time on CS GO, they would
think “ah, it’s just a skin for a video game” right? So they would say it must be ridiculous to
invest so much money in it, like why would you do that?
S: Yeah they don't really understand that it makes the game more fun
D: I agree, So you see them as something valuable even though it doesn't have any impact
on your performance?
S: Yeah, It kinda makes me feel like I play better when I do play with my skins. When I first
play with my skin is kinda made me feel like I play better.
D: Oh that's actually something I didn't expect
D: Do you mainly use it for gambling or do you use them because they look cool when you
wear them? Like do you feel there is some kind of quality in having them as well or?
S: Yeah, at first when I started I bought like 10 skins but then I traded them away, some of
them I still have, but I traded them because I got bored of them, I wanted new skins that
looked abit cooler. It's like my USP skin the moment I started was a rubbish a 70p one, But I
got bored of it and likely I traded it up and bought a £7 skin, which I found really nice though.
D: I see, so what is it that actually want you to have more skins?
S: What's a play and get Skins my friends also get Skins, So when I first started they had
around like maybe £50 worth of Skins but now they've got £100 worth, so it kinda feels like
a competition.
D: Also in the sense of a competition
S: Yes so every time we play together, one person got a new skin, but My friend just a
couple of weeks ago was the first person to get a knife skin, and that was just really cool,
and now everyone are just buying knives. By slowly everyone’s just like gambling more and
more to get better skins. But every now and then you hear someone’s lost their knife
because they gambled it away.
D: If you imagine there is a really cool skin that you like just after an update, whether it’s rare
or just really cool looking, is it also something you look into if you feel like you want more
skins?
S: Yeah, if there are new cases?
D: Yeah if they just release a new update with a case showcasing a variety of different type
of new knives, is something that makes you want you to have them as well?
S: Yeah when they first come out, they all feel very speciail so you are trying to get them
straight away. But some go up in price over time, but others go down in prices, so it’s kind of
risky as well. I think one of my friends bought straight away a USP cortex when it first came
out, but over time it’s kind of gone down quite a lot.
D: Oh yeah, I think I noticed.

D: What do you think that motivates you to gamble with skins? It’s not related to esports
when you watch live events or?
S: I have never really watched esports, so I have never really gone down on them. I
find the main reason for why I gamble with skins is because I want more skins, it’s the
only way I can get more skins by risking them with gambling.
Because then I have actually made more, instead of playing a lot into the game to get
skins, I put a little bit in and I’m getting a lot more back out of it.
D: It’s also because as you mentioned when you are with friends, right? When you
spend time together and talk about these skins, it’s something I can imagine you guys
do right?
S: Yeah, because they kind of buy their own skins quite often, ,or they can just put
money into a gambling site, and put 20 pounds into a site, get a 15 pound skin and be
happy because of the fun of it. But with me it’s like, I put 5 pounds in and get a 15
pound skin out, otherwise I don’t make any money out of it.
D: What if you watch other streamers, like PhantomLord or Moe that stream gambling.
Does that encourage you to gamble as well?
S: Yeah, when they win big it makes me want to gamble a lot more. But most of the
time I just watch youtubers like stream and gamble.
D: So when you actually see them winning, it makes you more motivated to gamble?
S: Yeah, I saw a Youtuber put in a 5 pound skin and I think he got a Karambit | Lore
out at the end of it. But my mate put in a 1000 pound skin and lose massive amount of
money. That’s what I want to do (In regards to the YouTube putting in a 5 pound skin)
D: So apart from those things you just mentioned, do you think there are other
possible factors that makes you wanna gamble?
S: I think lots of people gamble like I do, is because they want make more money. You
see lots of people have expensive skins that they trade to players or gambling sites to
actually make money from it. So I think it’s probably the bigger gamblers that gamble
thousands of pounts, they probably want to make money out of it.
D: So it’s actually the thought of that you can actually make money out of it, that
makes you wanna gamble?
S: Yeah there are also small offers, like CSGO skins give you a 5p as an daily offer for
free every day if you visit the site. It’s quite small, but if you go there everyday for like
a week, you’ll have 30p. And you can open a case with 30p and maybe get a 100
pound skin. You can actually make money, just by not paying any money at all.
Advancement
D: It’s obviously important for you to have skins when you play, since it makes you feel like
you play better. What are your motivations in terms of acquiring more rarer skins, like knives
for example. How important is that for you to look at rare skins and acquire them?
S: With me it’s just what skins looks the nicest, if a skin is rare it’s kinda good. I used to have
one skin, but I gave it to a friend, and it had a Howl sticker on it, to me the skin wasn’t too
good because it didn’t look nice. But it was rare, so to my friend it was really nice.
D: Ah so even if you had a rare knife that looks ugly like a forest DDPAT, it wouldn’t be as
important to you?
S: No, if I got a skin that is a 100 pound knife, but I didn’t like it, I would probably sell it and
buy a new knife like a bayonet night. If I were to spend on a knife, I would at least spend a
120 pounds to make I get knife that is nice. If I were to buy a knife it would be a butterfly
knife or a m9 bayonet or a bayonet, that’s what it kinda bribe for. Just because, to me it’s
more about looking at the skins, such as looking at my knife and if I see something that looks
really cool, rather than have something that is rare, because not everyone would know that it
is rare. But if it looks cool people would think: “oh wow that’s a rare knife”.
D: When you get a knife and such, it kinda gives you like a status. But that’s what you are
talking about right, when you have a cool skin it gives you like some kind of status right?
S: Yeah when I first started playing I’d be deathmatching and I saw someone have a knife, I
kinda think “Wow, he must be really good”, but nowadays when I see someone with a knife, I
see quite a lot of people with a knife and my friend’s have them. It just kinda feels like, not as
good, whereas if it’s a nice looking knife it would feel a lot better.
D: Right, so when you have a unique looking skin that not a lot of people have, then it would
make you feel special?
S: Yeah
D: So that’s what you are going when you acquire more skins, I can imagine?
S: Yeah, because there are some skins that are really expensive, but it don’t look that nice. If
it were an m4a1-S skin, which don’t look that nice and it’s worth 200 pounds, I think it’s the
knight one. Lots of people have it, but for 200 pounds you can get a really nice AK skin or a
really nice knife. I think it’s more about how nice a skin is, over if it’s something that is rare or
expensive for me.
D: Is it important for you to accumluate money, resources into skins?
S: Well, I haven’t really put much money into the game, I don’t want to put much money into
it. So i would kinda focusing on the skins that I use or not, and buy skins that I think look
nicest.
D: So for you, if you look into a skin what is the most important thing you look into. Getting
money, getting a status or?
S: I would say get the best skins for the smallest amount as possible. Because even if I
made a 150 pounds on gambling or on a nice knife. I would probably sell the knife and buy a
100 pound knife, and a 50 pound Ak skin. I would rather havee to gamble away a knife and
get 2 nice and smaller skins. For me 1 knife isn’t as good as a cheaper knife that looks nicer
and a cheap AK that looks nice as well. So that’s what I go for mostly.
D: For me it’s different, I kinda look into more of the value of the skins, but I still like having
cool looking skins. But I think it’s interesting to get an insight of different perspectives on
what they look into in skins, because all people have different opinions and taste.
34:54
S: In my inventory all my skins apart from the most expensive 2 are skins that I think looks
nice but were cheap. Because this was before I started gambling, but then when I started
gambling I kinda started looking skins that were a bit more expensive, like the knife I had. I
think it’s quite a nice knife I have, but it wasn’t that expensive, so that’s what I go for.
Competition
D: Do you actually enjoy being in accompany with others, such as your friends who share the same
interest in the items.
S: Danny
D: That kinda also drives you right?
S: Oh yeah, if my friends didn’t gamble, I probably wouldn’t have gambled at all. But because I kinda
made money gambling, it felt to me convenient that I could actually get some nice skins from it.
D: Do you enjoy competing against others in bets.
S: Well it’s if you imagine there is chat on the side that you can chat with, but it just works as if you put
in your knife into the site, then you can get an upgrade from it. Like if you won something you could
probably share your feelings in the chat, and they’ll be like “oh yeah, nice one”, and it kinda spurs you
to gamble more and more.
D: Because I see a lot of sites that have a simulator of a slot machine for example, and it allows you
to gamble against others who deposit some of their skins, but it’s not something you have ever used?
S: Oh no, well it does say on the top of the screen or on the side of the screen, all the successful
people who have won. And that’s kinda cool to see if you are on it, you see some people went from a
10p skin to a 10 pound skin. Where there would be others with a 1 pound skin to like a 50 pound skin.
It kinda makes you feel like you can make a lot more money. Because you want to try and gamble
more and more to try and overcome the people who have made a lot of money from it.
D: Do you follow the competitive scene of cs?
S: All the tiem I watch the tournaments they are not live, so I just watch the videos afterwards.
Because I normally forget to watch them, but I think even if I were to watch them live, I wouldn’t
wanna gamble it, because I feel like I don’t really like spending money and then risk losing it. That’s
why I like gambling my skins instead.
D: It’s also terms of knowledge in knowing how good the teams are and how well they are performing
lately?
S: Yeah, because if someone won the first match like 16-2, the other team could still win the next two
matches, you just don’t really know.
D: What about football, you know they always bet on matches as well?
S: One of my friends did it and bet a lot of money, but he never really won anything big. So over all he
has lost money doing that.
D: I see, so that’s what you mean by there is a higher risk of losing?
S: Yeah
D: When you actually gamble, do you bet together with friends or maybe others in your network?
S: Normally when I gamble after finishing a competitive game that we have just played, while waiting
for the next match before the accept button comes up, I just do it in between matches.
D: Ah right, so you do it in the meanwhile you are not playing. Are you maybe part of a gambling
group or community online that shares the same interest in gambling?
S: umm no, I just kinda do it with my friends, and if do it on a website I just talk with whoever is online
on the website, if there happens to be any livechat. But I haven’t joined any online groups one.
Customization
D: Since you speak of how cool looking skins is important for you, do you feel like the
customization is an important thing to you as well then in game?
S: Yeah, because that’s what I feel like is part of the game to get lots of skins. But if I
was a high level, if I was actually better at the game, I would probably put a lot more
time into trying and get better skins from that. Because I am not that good at the
moment, I don’t want to buy as many skins yet, so I am just waiting for some better
and sell, so that it feels like skins aren’t wasted as much.
D: Do you often do it with friends or do you most of the time do it alone.
S: I mostly only do with friends, because after finishing a competitive game and we are
waiting for the accept button, it takes like 5 minutes. So we all just kinda go on and be like,
“Let’s all do it 20 times”. Or everyone just put in like 2 pound skin in and let’s see who makes
the most money or loses most money. I have only gambled, the first time I gambled was the
only time I have gambled by myself. That was just to try out, see if I lost everything my friend
wouldn’t have to know, but because I did well, I decided “ah this is really good, this is really
fun” so I did it with my friends more.
Escapism
D: Personally I gamble on matches with real credits, but I think I like the diversity because
are some who find it more exciting to with skins perhaps rather than just money.
S: Yeah, I only gamble with the skins, whereas I don’t really, well my aim isn’t really to make
money from it.
D: Yeah, it’s sometimes related to socialism like if you are gambling just with friends. But
there are some people, who feel like they want to gamble to relax after work perhaps and if
they want to escape real life problems. It’s not something I can imagine you come across?
S: Oh no, I don’t really. I got school that’s the only that’s stressful, but when I get stressed,
you know I just play CSGO with my friends. Because that just kinda helps me.
D: So it’s not because you are gambling to avoid real life problems or stress.
S: No
D: it’s merely because the fun you get out of it?
S: Yeah
D: Do you think it’s sometimes relaxing when you gamble?
S: Uhm, I kinda find it more tens than relaxing. Because most of the time, I risk losing
money, but when I make money it’s just really exciting, and it kinda scares you, because if
you win now, you might lose the next one. So I find it more tens than relaxing.
D: Yeah I see, that makes sense. It totally makes sense.
D: Actually do you think because it’s so easily accessible to 3rd party websites that makes
you wanna gamble with skins?
S: Yeah because it’s easier to get the skins you want on 3rd party websites than on the
steam market. Because instead of buying a skin that is worth 10 pounds , you have a
chance of getting the same skin for maybe about 1.5 pound. It kinda makes you feel like it’s
more exciting when you do it.
D: Yeah cuz there are a lot of underage gamblers who invest time in video games, and part
of the reason is because it’s so easy accessible for them to online gambling compared to
offline gambling.
S: Yeah, because a child can like take a mom’s credit card and buy himself a skin. But yeh
the mom could say, you can buy yourself a skin, but then the person could take the skin and
gamble it away and lose it quite easily.
D: Does it bring more excitement compared to traditional gambling where you just
put in money?
S: Yeah, because if you would do normal gambling, and then you get the money out of
it, it’s alright, but in CSGO if you win something with gambling, you win cool skins
that you’ve always wanted and it feels a lot better.
Dennis - Transcription of interviewee #2 (A = Interviewee // D = Myself)

D: Would you see yourself as a regular gambler?
A: I wouldn’t say that I gamble often, but there is a friend of mine that gambles a lot, and he
says that there are a lot of safe bets and tells me that I have to do it as well because I can
get easy money from it. So I was like why not I’ll try it out.
D: Oh, that’s what got you into gambling to begin with?
A: Yeah, because of my friends because he told me there a lot of safe bets to get free
money you know, and that’s how I got into gambling as well.
D: Did you also gamble with CS:GO items?
A: can I say the website, am I allowed? CSGO lounge.
D: Yeah I know that site, it’s where most people used to gamble their items.
A: Yeah for the skins and I used that website to gamble my CSGO skins.
D: Did you ever use, what actually got you to gamble with the skins to start off with on CSGO
lounge?
A: Well there was actually a friend of mine, well since there are alot of esports CSGO
matches right, and there lot of top players playing against low tier teams. And the top tier
were obviously winning the games, but my friend says that it’s really safe to bet on those
matches to get easy money from it. At first I started with money, but then I started with skins
because I had so many bad skins from drops in competitive matches. I get a lot of default
skins throughout the time I played. And they are only like 10-20 cents worth, so I used these
skins to gamble with.
D: So you started with a small amount?
A: Yeah, very small like below 1 euro at least.
D: Do you remember what you first experience was like when you started gambling with
items?
A: It was actually pretty exciting, it felt satisfying when you actually won some. My first
experience with betting got me really excited, it got me so excited to do more and gamble.
Because when you win your gamble. You are like maybe I can win some more and then I’ll
try again and then I won again and again and again you know. But after that I was slowly
getting the habit of gambling, which wasn’t that good though, but you win so much.
D: At that time what was your ambition with CSGO?
A: I actually wanted to become a professional, that was actually my goal, I was actually in a
good team.
D: So you were inspired by professional teams?
A: Yeah
D: Ah so that was one of your ambition with CSGO, to become a professional.
A: Yeah, I did actually play in a team and I actually went to a lan party and I did some online
tournaments for some qualifiers.
D: Ah yeh that is pretty cool
A: Yah, it was actually really fun, it got me really hyped.
D: So in terms of items it wasn’t your main priority of the game to gain more skins?
A: No, it was just become better and show the world how good I am. That was actually my
main goal though, just to show that I am better than everyone else. But about gambling that
was just a thing throughout the time I played.
D: Was that more of a side thing?
A: Well yehhh, it’s not because of myself it was because of my friends who told me to
gamble. He was the one who helps me, alright there is one safe bet, you should bet on
that. He keeps giving me advice about what matches I should bet on. So that’s how I
started out with a small amount, and I won some until 5 dollars or something. When I
reached 5 dollar I went all in with 5 dollars, and then I won again and slowly it became
bigger and bigger, with a huge amount of money.
D: I gotta ask you, you win some you lose some right? But it is fun
A: Yeah, it was fun. It really gets me excited to win and makes me want to gamble more and
do it again you know.
D: When you actually got the items did you buy items directly or do you open crates to get
skins?
A: I did both, I did open a few cases to open skins.
D: So you mainly opened cases to get skins?
A: Uhh, well I actually did it as well but I didn’t do as much as when I get skins from
competitive matches.
D: Ah yeah, it was like every now and then I suppose?
A: Yeah, exactly.
D: Do you remember the sites where you could just buy the skins you wanted?
A: uhh yah, there was one website but I forgot?
D: Yeah I am just wondering if you ever used those kind of sites?
A: yeah I did use to sell items.
D: Oh, to just mainly sell items?
A: Yeah to sell items and get real money from it.
D: Like OPskins?
A: Yeaah that is the one, OPskins. That the website I used to sell my CSGO skins and get
real money from.
D: But you never bought any skins from there?
A: No I never bought, I only sold skins.
D: Okay, so you’d mainly get your skins from trash drops and cases.
A: Yeah mainly from trash drops and cases. I was always starting with a small amount, that
was what I did.
D: Yeah
A: Because in the beginning I was so scared to lose bets, but when I kept winning I just
wanted to do more. That was so fun though.
D: Yeah, it sometimes fun when you win some especially.

D: So in terms of getting access to CSGO gambling you already mentioned one right, like
CSGO lounge, you used that site?
A: Yeah that’s the one I used to gamble with skins.
D: Were there other sites that you used to gamble on? Like those kind of roulette sites like
csgogem, I don’t know if you know those kind of sites?
A: Oh yeah, there was also a site, there was actually a website I used to do a 1v1 against a
player to win skins, oh yeh it was coin flip that was it.
D: Oh yah coin flip, on what website was that on do you remember?
A: I think it’s called csgocoinflip. Not sure though but that website is banned so. I actually
used that a lot more than the csgolounge.
D: Oh you did?
A: Yah when I actually remember, because it’s coin flip, you get 50% win or lose, but I
actually got lucky I won so much that I bought myself a butterfly knife skin. But that website I
started off with 5 euro.
D: 5 euro
A: Yah, and I won so much that I could buy a butterfly knife with it. Yeah that was the best
website ever, because you kept winning 50-50, because I always had the feeling if I had to
go for a big amount of money or small, I always had the feeling when I know I win.
D: So there were 2 main website that you used.
A: Yah
D: Outside of online gambling, did you gamble as well offline?
A: No, never.

D: First of all do skins mean something to you? Does it have some kind of value to you. Do
you feel like they have something?
A: Well it gives me the boost. Well it does make me feel better, because you win some
money. It always felt good for me. In the beginning I felt excited to win money, but
when I kept winning skins I would feel better.
D: yeah but I mean if the actual skins do the skins mean something to you?
A: Oh well, not really.
D: Maybe if they look cool or something
A: Well skins for me right now doesn’t matter for me.
D: What about before?
A: Well before it did
D: You know those operations where they would introduce new cases. Did the skins
introduced show off to you?
A: Yeah, well not really.
D: Not really? Okay. So even though maybe some of them might have looked cool to
you, you didn’t really feel like it has a value to you?
A: It’s just that I didn’t feel like had a big impact, because most of them didn’t really
look so good or appeal to me. They were just skins to showoff with for me, not really
something I cared about. Skins are just skins for me, I am just playing the game.
D: Yah I get it, in terms of your ambitions you were more focused on getting better and
become pro
A: Yah that what was my ambition to become better and become a professional.
D: When you had skins, did you use them more for gambling or to wear them in game, what
did you use them mostly for?
A: I used them more for gambling, because I didn’t actually care about showing off my skins.
I was focused on playing the game, for me it wasn’t really worth showing of my skins.
D: Yah I get it, I think it’s interesting because some people think having cool skins is really
awesome. They think it's awesome because it gives them some kind of status, when you are
playing in game.
A: Yeah, there are some people with a AWP dragonlore you know, well some people are
thinking that this guy must be rich, so they are gonna add him and him if he can get some
free skins. That’s what happens if people have expensive skins, they keep getting spammed,
sometimes you even get invited by gamble communities and groups. The problem is that
there are a lot of scammers on steam, people are gonna add you and link you a website,
and if you click on that website it’s a virus infecting your computer, and you can end up
getting all your skins stolen.
D: What made you want more skins? Did you care about getting skins at all?
A: Not really actually, I the only thing I cared about were the knives, because of the
animation stuff. That’s what I like
D: So you only cared about the knives?
A: Yeah the knives are my favourites
D: So did the knives mean something more to you?
A: Yeah, well if it had a bad skin that okay too but. All I cared about was the animation stuff
with the knives.
D: So that is the only thing you cared about in the items?
A: Yeah, for example for a butterfly knife, it has a cool flip when you pull it out and it has a
cool animation when you inspect it. That’s what I like. It’s not really about the pattern of the
skin that I care about, it’s just the animation.
D: Oh so it those kind of small features that you looked into?
A: Yeah, even if it was a bad looking skin.
D: Did you ever use those items to convert them into money, like into credits.
A: Yeah, from OPskins
D: I see, so you only used it for your own benefit in earning money?
A: Yeah
D: Like you didn’t use them for further gambling? Because there are some sites that convert
your skins into credits.
A: No, well I actually I only do it through OPskins to get real money from it, but then I just
cash out. For example if I 100 dollar I am gonna split it into halves, sell the other half on the
website in opskins, and the rest of the 50% of the skins I am gonna continue to gamble with.
D: Okay, what do you think mot

D: What do you think motivates you to gamble with skins, is in terms of events and esports
or because of your friends, or is it because you want to earn more money?
A: Well it started out with a friend of mine, because of the safe bets.
D: But when you actually did it, when you listened to your friend, was it also exciting to watch
the games that you bet on?
A: In the beginning it was pretty exciting.
D: Because your money is on the line, right
A: Well in the beginning it was pretty exciting, because my money is on the line, so I get this
kind of hype feeling when it is a close game. I really feel like they have to win so I can get
the money. But later on I was just like, I am gonna bet on some matches and then wait and
see if they won the next day.
D: So later you used the flip coin website?
A: No not the flipcoin site, I still used the csgolounge site, but I did watch before in the
beginning, but later on when I kept on gambling. I didn’t watch the matches, I couldn’t be
asked and just bet on some of the upcoming matches. And just wait until the end of the
game, because it was a lot of matches, which takes a long time.
D: So it is mainly your friends that encrouraged you to gamble, because it was fun to do it
together?
A: Well that too, but after that there was a Youtuber, tiko (from Faze clan), he was promoting
or advertising the websites through his videos by getting sponsored, by showing the
introduction he shows the sites. Well he did a promotion introduction to advertise the
websites, to encourage people to try it out. And from there I saw CSGO coinflip and I thought
it was pretty fair because it was 50/50 chance of winning. From there I got so much money.
D: Did you remember how much money you got?
A: I started off with 5 and ended up with somewhere 100. Well it could be lower, but it was
around 100. Off the money I earned from the website I bought a knife, and that’s how I got
my knife. It’s fast, safe and it’s simple.
D: So you got by that guy after you saw the video?
A: Yeah, it was a really good website. In my opinion it was better than the CSGOlounge. But
CSGO coinflip was the one site I actually got a lot of money.
D: did you watch some of the streamers too?
A: Yeah, there was a streamer I watched, who was called Phantoml0rd. I used to watch him
gamble on stream.
D: yeah I remember he used CSGOlotto
A: Yeah csgolotto, he used it so much to gamble skins.
D: Did you actually watch him a lot?
A: Well not so much, but it was pretty fun when he puts in 10.000 dollars worth of skins, it
makes you really curious if he is gonna win.
D: Did you actually try it out yourself then?
A: Haha, no no.
D: But I mean did it encourage you to do it with a small amount, not with 10.000
A: Nah, because if I put in 20 dollars worth of skins, there are some people who snipes you
on the website. For example if you put in 5000 dollars skins on the website you get a higher
chance of winning the pool. The more amount of money you put in, the bigger the chances
are of winning, but you risk losing it all.
D: So apart from your friends, do you think there are other things that makes you wanna
gamble? Do you have anything in mind?
A: No, not really. It was because of my friends, that’s where it all started.
D: Okay,
Your network/friends
D: About your friends, are they your online friends or real life friends?
A: Online friends
D: Do you spend most of your time with your friends online?
A: Yeah
D: Do your friends gamble too besides you?
A: Yeah they gamble as well?
D: Is it with skins as well? And do you talk about it?
A: Well we don’t really talk about the skins, we only talk about what matches we should bet
on.
D: Ah so that’s the stuff you discuss about?
A: Yeah we talk it through together on what team we should bet on, and how much money
as well.
D: Okay, since skins don’t mean so much to you, I can’t imagine if you feel like a higher
prestige when having better skins?
A: Nah, I don’t think so.
D: For you
Advancement
D: For you, how important is it to have skins?
A: I don’t really care about having skins, I just gamble with them. I only care if I have a knife.
D: Okay, so that’s what you literally care about, having rare skins? What if it was a rare
weapon?
A: Even if it was a rare weapon, I would just sell it.
D: Even when you were actively playing CSGO?
A: Yeah all the skins I collect, I would sell them and get from it.
D: So they skins only meant something to you to get more money?
Socializing // Competition
A: Yeah, just to get real money out of it. You can get easy money, if you have friends who
are experienced in gambling, they can help you with the gamble and what matches are safe
to bet on.
D: Do you enjoy being in accompany with others who share same interest in the items like
you?
A: Hmm, it’s fun to discuss about what matches to bet on.
D: For example when you were doing the flip coin gamble or csgolounge, was it fun to
compete against others and win bets.
A: It was fun.
D: Did it keep you going on gambling?
A: Well only because it was exciting not really because it was fun. As it was an addiction, as
you keep winning.
D: Was it to a point where you thought you were addicted?
A: Yeah, even when I won first time.
D: Because there is a difference, some people think they are addicted because they want to
avoid real life problems and distress. Is that what you experienced?
A: Ah no no
D: it wasn’t because of social problems that made you do it.
A: No it’s just because of people who inspired me to do it with all these websites, videos and
streams. It’s just these kind of guys that try to advertise or promote the websites.
D: Are you part of any gambling group or community?
A: No, there are a lot of people who invites me to join their groups, but I don’t wanna join
them. Because it makes me think I an addicted gambler towards others, so I am not gonna
join any communities or groups.
D: When you were betting did you prefer doing it in accompany with others or alone?
A: No alone, when it was my money and skins, I would just do it alone.
D: But I can imagine if you were gambling on csgo matches you were doing it with friends or
not?
A: No, not sharing skins at all, but they just showed me what to bet on. And that was it.
D: But didn’t you sometimes join discord or teamspeak with your friends to watch the
matches together.
A: Nope, I never did.
D: Alright.
Customization
D: In terms of how you look in game and the ability to customize yourself, you didn’t really
think about that when you had skins?
A: No not really, only the knives that would get me excited to have one.
Escapism
D: I have another question, when you for example finish school or work, did you find
gambling relaxing or exciting or fun?
A: Yeah, well it is fun, but it is also makes you feel better if you win, like some kind of
satisfaction or glory of winning.
D: So it was more an exciting thing and not really a relaxing thing to do.
A: Yeah.
D: Okay, I have a last question then. Did you feel like gambling sometimes made you
distress from other people or the real world.
A: Not really.
Patrick - Transcription of interviewee #3 (B = Interviewee // D = Myself)
D: So I think my first is more of, like do you see yourself as a regular gambler now compared
to maybe before?
B: Uhh, well I haven’t really gambled for quite a while, in all honesty. So I used to be more of
a regular gambler when it first sort of came about.
D: So it was about 2-3 years ago?
B: Yeah, about a year and half to 2 years ago.
D: Do you remember what got you into csgo gambling to begin with?
B: I have seen on a stream that someone was actually gambling to get more skins on cs:go
lounge.
D: Oh yeh CS:GO lounge, it was quite popular.
B: Yeah
D: Do you remember what was your first experience like?
B: Yeah, the first time I bet on Fnatic, I bet a really low bet just to see how it works and I
won.
D: Did you win a lot?
B: Uhm, not really because, I was scared in doing it first, because I’ve never done it before,
so I just put a low bet on.
D: Yeah that’s kind of the thing when you start gambling, you start off small in the beginning.
B: Yeah, just to sorta testing it to see what would happen.
D: What was your ambitions with CSGO, did you want to become a professional or did you
want to become better at the game that kind of stuff, or was it because you wanted more
skins.
B: What like the gambling side of things or just playing reasons.
D: Well I would say both playing reasons but also more like in terms of gambling.
B: So playing reasons, I played Counter Strike for a very very long time now, I would say
easily 15 years, easily, probably a lot longer actually. Since 1.4 I played, and obviously it has
changed in that time since playing from the start.
D: But when you got into CSGO, did you…?
B: Well with CSGO from previously counter strike games, I was playing on quite a high level
of competitive play, like matches and teams and stuff. So I was more focused on
matchmaking at first trying to get a higher rank on there, and playing against professionals
that way.
D: Basically experiencing the game and become better?
B: Yeah, and obviously meeting new people through the game and I played with a couple of
teams and tournaments and stuff before. I wish I had more time to sort of play CSGO to
maybe get somewhere in the game, but I don’t have enough time because of stuff in my
personal life.
D: Alright, that’s quite interesting. But do you remember when, in terms of getting skins did
you just find that interesting throughout the time you played the game.
B: Uhm, the reasons why I started betting and stuff was for 2 reasons, firstly I could
see Phantoml0rd is someone I used to watch quite a lot. And I would see him win
quite a lot skins and stuff, and then I thought I would try and do the same. Not only to
just make money out from the game, but also it made watching competitive games a
lot more exciting, because you had placed a bet on the game. But then it was
frustrating when you would lose those game I bet on and there should’ve been a clear
winner and the team I bet on had lost. And then times like that it got quite frustrating.

D: Yeah I totally understand. That’s the thing about gambling. You bet and then you lose
some.
B: Yeah
D: When you got skins did you mainly get it from items, you know the cases you would open
in the game?
B: Uhm, cases really, I mean when I used to stream maybe 1½ or 2 years ago, just for
people who used to watch and have a view. But a lot of my skins came from cases, I
suppose I was quite lucky from the cases that I opened. I have had several knives and stuff
from cases and that I sort of traded them out for different knives with other people.
D: Ah okay, did you ever bet one of the knives?
B: Uhm no, I sold about a year ago, I sold, 2-3 of my knives, just because they were in my
inventory and I just wasn’t doing anything with them. So I thought I may as well sell them on
opskins.
D: Oh yeah, OP skins. I used it myself. I think it’s one of the most reliable as well.
B: And yeh that’s why I was sort of scared of as well. Even though people have told me they
used the site, I was scared to sell my skins through there. In case I was gonna be scammed.
D: Did you have any access to other sites besides CSGOlounge, did you use any other site
to gamble?
B: No
D: Okay, so CSGO lounge was the only site that you used bet on.
B: Yeah
D: uhm okay.
B: Because I know there are other websites, where you could put skins into a pot and the
more value of the skin the higher chance you have of winning the pot. But I have seen some
people get scammed and stuff like that, so I was too scared.
D: Yeah, I think it’s one of the sites Phantoml0rd also used.
B: Yeah, because there was a big thing that came out, where they scammed lots of people
with that. So I have always been cautious with stuff like that.
D: So when you gamble with skins, you never traded them into credits right.
B: No

D: Because that’s what I am only focusing, you know the items themselves. In terms of the
skins themselves, do they have any value to you? Do you think they seem cool, or it’s
awesome to have, or if it brings some kind of status.
B: Yeah, I mean like when I play like matchmaking or faceit, because of the skins that I have
got, I get quite a lot of attention from people, saying how good they are and stuff like that, so
I do get recognised for having good skins.
D: They also quite, usually the rare ones are also something that’s really valuable right, I can
imagine. What if they look cool, but they are not so high in value, do they mean something to
you?
B: Uhm, not really just because I know, I prefer the high valued ones, but at the same time
the appearance does mean quite a lot. So if the skin is worth a lot of money, but doesn’t look
very nice, I wouldn’t want it. Like to use personally.
D: So even though they don’t have impact on your performance, they are still considered
valuable? Because they look cool and stuff.
B: Yeah
D: Because I remember in my last interview, someone said that it makes him feel like he play
better with cool looking skins. I don’t know if you feel the same?
B: Yeah I remember when i played on a smurf account before. It feels weird not playing with
the skins that I am used playing with.
D: Ah yeah okay. Personally I don’t really think about that.
B: Personally I’d say it’s one of those things like, if I am having a bad game and I am playing
on a smurf account without skins, sometimes I sorta feel like it could because it doesn’t feel
right.
D: Yeah I totally get that. What do you think like makes you want to have more skins? For
example is it in terms of a new operation update introducing the skins? Does that maybe
give you the intention to buy more crates and more skins from opening them?
B: In all honesty, I have sort of gone away from the weapons now, for me it’s more about the
knives and the gloves, cuz the skins I have got for the weapons are as good as they can get.
And I absolutely love all of my skins that I use weapon wise. So it’s mainly the knives and
gloves now that I sort of look at more than anything.
D: So you could say in terms of the last operation they introduced the new skins with the
gloves and things. That makes you wanna have those kind of skins right?
B: Yeah
D: And there was alos the case when, I think it was the gamma case they released all these
the new knives into the game.
B: Yeah
D: But now I can imagine you have, since you already have these cool looking skins you can
just trade them to the ones you really want, right?
B: Yeah

D: So in terms of gambling, what motivates you to gamble with them like it’s more fun or is it
more exciting?
B: Uhm, it makes the games more exciting. But I wouldn’t bet, I would never… In the past,
long long time ago, I was predicting the games that I was betting on and I would always
getting them right, and I was earning more and more skins. Just in any sort of gambling, you
become more and more cocky. Because you want to win more and more, so you put on
higher bets. There was one bet, where I lost probably, I don’t know if we are being realistic,
300 pounds on one bet, and again like I said it was on a game where the team I bet on,
which I believe was fnatic. They played a clan called Mystik, and on paper Fnatic should
have never lost it, but somehow it happened.
D: Who did they lose against?
B: eh, Mystik
D: Ah yeah the American team, I remember yeah.
B: And it was from there then that I was just, I thought I am not gonna ever bet higher again.
D: Yeah it’s a high risk.
B: Because if I had won that bet, the payback that I would have had from it was really good,
but it was just one of the games that I should have never had lost, so I just happened to lose
it.
D: Did you ever gamble outside of leagues and tournaments
B: Uhm no. Just because I found that you can’t really trust them, unless they are official
matches you can really trust them, such as match fixing cause that has been another thing
that has been coming, in regards to the professional scene
Your network/friends //
D: When you gamble do you do it together with friends maybe or did you do it alone.
B: Uhm, I did a couple of games with some friends
D: Does it make it more exciting or social if you think about?
B: Yeah,
D: It wouldn't be considered as a escape kind of thing for social problems, but it’s more of a
social kind of thing when you are friends right?
B: Yeah
D: Okay, did you sometimes talk together with it about who should you bet on and that kind
of stuff with your friends when you do that.
B: Yeah, because some people had bit more knowledge about teams more than me, so I
sometimes asked them about advice, and they sometimes asked me for advice, and then we
sort of combine knowledge to bet on the right people then.
D: Did you ever feel like there was some kind of prestige between your freinds, like who had
the better skins between your friends, was it maybe a competitive thing between you.
B: hmm, not really. It was more of just people I have played against rather than people I
played with.
Advancement
D: Yeah okay, alright. I think move on a to some other questions. Like how important is it for
you to have skins, do you think it’s really important for you to have skins?
B: It was a long time ago, I used to care about the skins quite a lot, whereas I am at the
stage now, whereas I am debating about selling them, sort of cashing on them now.
D: Ah yeh, is it in terms of how much time you spend time playing the game as well and
personal life.
B: Yeah because I don’t play it as much anymore now, it’s just more in my eyes just money
that just sat there now that I could be using for something else now.
D: Right now it’s not really important for you to have rarer skins now?
B: No, like there are some skins that I have got that I am more like, should we say like
precious about. But I am not as hoped as I am now that I used to be.
D: What if they introduced a new operation, would that maybe encourage you to trade your
skins for a better one.
B: I don’t think so I am quite happy with the skins I have got, so that’s why I haven’t really
traded them for a really long time now.
D: It’s also a huge investment. Okay, in terms of status that I mentioned a bit earlier, you
kind of get a higher status when you got rarer skins, is that something that is really important
for you as well to have?
B: I wouldn’t say have a higher feeling, I would it’s more about how people go mad when
they see what sort of skins that I have got.
D: Yeah when they recognise
B: Yeah then people comment on my profile, and ask to trade with them. Stuff like that.
D: Okay, did you ever think about how much money you maybe spent on skins or resources
on items.
B: Yeah I have probably spent a lot of money on skins and opening cases.
D: Apart from that lost bet you know.
B: Yeah I have definitely made more money, like if I were to sell all of my skins, I would have
definitely made more money than what I have put in, 100%.
D: Okay, so do you enjoy being in accompany with others who share same interest in the
items like you?
B: Oh yeah, I think it’s cool to talk with people about skins.
D: It’s sorta when you feel, when people collect other stuff, like cars and figures and that kind
of stuff.
B: Yeah
Competition // Socializing
D: So in terms of, when you gamble in competition, when you gamble against others, there
is sometimes a competition, did you ever feel like it was fun to compete against others and
win against others in bets. I don’t know if you ever, or if that was thing you ever thought
about.
B: Uhm, like say, when sometimes there’d be like a competitive tournament going on, I quite
enjoyed betting on games with my friend, and if they bet on a different team and my team
won, it was quite fun to whine them up about it.
D: I can imagine, if you were to bet on your favourite team.
B: But then at the same time if I lost and they won, it was frustrating.
D: So do you still enjoy watching leagues and tournament when you gamble. Or apparently
you don’t gamble anymore.
B: No I don’t gamble anymore, but I still enjoy watching the competitions, the competitive
competition.
D: Would you still feel that excited if you were to gamble with items on those matches you
watch.
B: Possibly, it has sorta changed a bit after the gambling scene with CSGO, as far as I am
aware, CS:GO lounge you can’t bet skins now.
D: Oh you can’t actually do that anymore?
B: I don’t think so, I think you have to bet with coins.
D: Oh, is that digital coins?
B: I could be wrong, because I havent done for so long, yeah it is digital, and I am not
entirely sure whereever if that is true, but I have a feeling that it is.
D: Okay, I don’t think I have many more questions. Maybe I have something in terms of how
easy it was to access those gambling sites. Was that a factor that made it you to gamble
with items instead of money.
B: Yeah,
D: because it was so easily accessible, because there were no regulated laws surrounding
it. So that was also a part of it that made it, right?
B: Oh yeah, for sure.
D: Because there are also a lot of gamblers, underage gamblers, and they don’t really have,
they don’t really think about that, when the gambling is an underage gambling.
B: Yeah, stuff like that.
Escapism
D: I don’t assume that you’ve got into anything in the likes of problem gambling. To like
escape real life problems.
B: Oh no no. Like I did enjoy the betting side of things, it did make watching competitive
matches more fun, because you’d place a bet on the game, but after losing something that I
was put off from doing again.
D: Did you often do it with friends or alone?
B: Just alone, but I started with friends, and sometimes I would bet on games if they weren’t
online.
Customization
D: About the customization with your weapons, do you always customize your looks. Do you
think it’s cool to have that kind of thing when you have so many skins.
B: Yeah, I stick with my favourites, but before I would always swap and change.
D: Do you think gambling for you is relaxing or exciting.
B: Just exciting
D: Maybe after work you would think of it as more of an exciting than relaxing?
B: Yeah
D: So that is basically all I have, I don’t have anymore questions.
B: Okay, no worries.

Csgo Skin Betting and Motivations

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Csgo Skin Betting and Motivations

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Gambling - Player Motives With Virtual Cosmetic Skins

The Case of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

Analysis & Discussion 30

Bibliography (Work in progress) 37

Appendix IV - Interview transcriptions 54

1.1 The Definition of Gambling and Motivation

Motivation:​ Motivations are typically bound to reasons in doing something desired.

1.2. Virtual items as material goods

2.1. Video games as a simulator for real world activities

2.2. Types of Gambling Content in Video Games

2.4. Gaming & Gambling Motivation

1) Advancement (e.g. terms of acquiring items and earn a status)

5) Escapism (e.g. in terms of escaping from real-life problems and relieving

2.5. Luck vs Skill based games

2.6. Esports association with gambling

3.1 Quantitative approach

Setting up the interview

Note: all outputs are available in Appendix 1

4.1. Results from the questionnaire

Gender, age distribution

Activity in playing CS:GO and watching league tournaments

Activity and purpose in gambling with CSGO skins

Money invested into skin-betting

4.2. Results from the interviews (Skal cuttes ned)

In terms of watching esports, he never gambles on league matches. He explains it is hard to

Introduction of the interview

Accessibility to CSGO gambling

Motives in gambling with skins

What motivates you to gamble with skins?

He described his first experience in skin-gambling, as an exciting and satisfying experiencing

Network and friends

Analysis & Discussion

5.1 Skins as material goods (Virtual commodities)

5.2 The purpose of gambling with skins

Competition (e.g. betting on league matches or competing against others in

5.3. Motivation for the chance of winning in gambling

Gambling is a controversial topic because it can lead to a variety of socialistic problems as

Link to the survey results: ​https://goo.gl/forms/qQXf8uQKsu8jmASI2

Interviewguide for csgo gambling motives

Introduction of the interviewee and first experience with gambling

Motives in gambling with skins

Danny - Transcription of interviewee #1 (S = Interviewee // D = Myself)

Introduction of the interviewee

Accessibility to CSGO gambling

Motives in gambling with skins

What motivates you to gamble with skins?

Introduction of the interviewee

Accessibility to CSGO gambling

Motives in gambling with skins

What motivates you to gamble with skins?

Accessibility to CSGO gambling

Motives in gambling with skins

What motivates you to gamble with skins?

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Motivation: Motivations are typically bound to reasons in doing something desired.

Link to the survey results: https://goo.gl/forms/qQXf8uQKsu8jmASI2