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| YouTuber pleads not guilty to video game gambling offences | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Two men have appeared in court and pleaded not guilty after they were previously charged with offences under the Gambling Act. | 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. | Craig Douglas and Dylan Rigby made their pleas at Birmingham Magistrates' Court on Friday. |
| The pair were charged on 16 September with promoting a lottery and advertising unlawful gambling. | The pair were charged on 16 September with promoting a lottery and advertising unlawful gambling. |
| The case has been adjourned until 6 February 2017, when the court will hold a hearing expected to last a week. | The case has been adjourned until 6 February 2017, when the court will hold a hearing expected to last a week. |
| Mr Douglas is a prominent gamer and has a YouTube channel under the pseudonym Nepenthez which has more than 1.3 million subscribers. | Mr Douglas is a prominent gamer and has a YouTube channel under the pseudonym Nepenthez which has more than 1.3 million subscribers. |
| Douglas is also charged with inviting children to gamble by advertising a gambling website connected to the football video game Fifa. | Douglas is also charged with inviting children to gamble by advertising a gambling website connected to the football video game Fifa. |
| The sites gave players the chance to win footballers for their collection, which the gambling commission has referred to as skin betting. | The sites gave players the chance to win footballers for their collection, which the gambling commission has referred to as skin betting. |
| This is believed to be the first prosecution of its kind involving betting on video games and skin betting. | This is believed to be the first prosecution of its kind involving betting on video games and skin betting. |
| What is skin betting? | What is skin betting? |
| Skins are collectable, virtual items in video games - such as modifications that change the appearance of weapons. | Skins are collectable, virtual items in video games - such as modifications that change the appearance of weapons. |
| The term is sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to any collectable video game item - such as football players in Fifa. | The term is sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to any collectable video game item - such as football players in Fifa. |
| Sometimes skins and footballers can be earned within a game, but they can also be bought with real money. | Sometimes skins and footballers can be earned within a game, but they can also be bought with real money. |
| Some games also let players trade and sell skins, with rarer examples attracting high prices. | 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. | A number of websites let players gamble with their skins for the chance to win more valuable ones. |
| Since skins won on such a website could in some cases be sold and turned back into real-world money, critics suggest betting with skins may constitute unlicensed gambling. | Since skins won on such a website could in some cases be sold and turned back into real-world money, critics suggest betting with skins may constitute unlicensed gambling. |