4csgoskins guide:These skins come in cases

In Counter-Strike,all CSGO Skins players can obtain purely cosmetic gun skins. These skins come in cases, which can either be bought for a few cents or through random drops in the game. The case can be opened for the low low price of $2.49 to reveal what skin you actually got, and some skins are much rarer than others.

These skins can then be sold on Steam, Valve's game marketplace, for Steam credit or sold on third party sites for real cash. Skins can also be gambled with on a myriad of sites, from casino-style chance games to sportsbook sites that take action on just about every level of competitive Counter-Strike. Many argue that this gambling culture around matches has served to boost viewership, particularly at those lower levels.

It's controversial because these sites operate without regulation. They're not considered gambling sites under most current laws. That means minors and players in countries like the U.S., where traditional online gambling is illegal, can use these sites freely. It has long been considered a grey area.

Earlier this year, the U.K., became one of the first countries to take a firm stance that skin betting should be equivalent to traditional cash gambling, leading to CS:GO Skins the shutdown of U.K.-based sites like EZSkins.