BBC News : Two men have appeared in court and pleaded not guilty after they were previously charged with offences under the Gambling Act.
Craig Douglas and Dylan Rigby made their pleas at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on Friday.
They charged the pair on September 16 with promoting a lottery and advertising unlawful gambling. The court adjourned the case until February 6, 2017, when a week-long hearing is expected to be held.
Mr. Douglas, known as Nepenthez on his YouTube channel with over 1.3 million subscribers, is facing charges for advertising a gambling website linked to the Fifa video game and inviting children to gamble. The website offered skin betting, allowing players to win footballers for their collection, according to the gambling commission.
This is believed to be the first prosecution of its kind involving betting on video games and skin betting.
What is skin betting?
Skins are collectable, virtual items in video games – such as modifications that change the appearance of weapons.
In a broader sense, people sometimes use the term to refer to any collectible video game item, such as football players in Fifa. Players can earn or purchase these items, including skins and footballers, within the game.
Some games also let players trade and sell skins, with rarer examples attracting high prices.
A number of websites let players gamble with their skins for the chance to win more valuable ones.
Critics claim skin betting on these websites is unlicensed gambling, as skins can be converted to real-world money.
