Isn't the biggest difference that the skins have no real world value other than the market price a person is willing to pay for it? You can't cash them in like casino chips, they are digital goods with no inherent value, you have find someone willing to pay for it.
IMO Valve has no responsibility here, as you can use anything as a currency. The government can't stop you from trading baseball cards.
Comments
Isn't the biggest difference that the skins have no real world value other than the market price a person is willing to pay for it? You can't cash them in like casino chips, they are digital goods with no inherent value, you have find someone willing to pay for it.
IMO Valve has no responsibility here, as you can use anything as a currency. The government can't stop you from trading baseball cards.
Actually several parties have tried to make the case that sports cards constitute an illegal lottery, e.g: http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB846202501868224000
From a brief read around though I couldn't find any successful suits.