eSports duo appear in court

In the UK what is believed to be the first prosecutions for betting on video games and skin betting (eSports) came before a Birmingham Court Friday.

The BBC reports that Brits Craig Douglas and Dylan Rigby pleaded not guilty to charges of using Youtube to promote a lottery and advertising unlawful gambling.

The court adjourned until February 6 next year when a full hearing will take place and is expected to last a week.

Douglas is a prominent gamer and has a YouTube channel under the pseudonym Nepenthez which has more than 1.3 million subscribers. He has also been charged with inviting children to gamble by advertising a gambling website connected to the virtual football video game Fifa.

The sites gave players the chance to win virtual footballers for their collection, which the UK Gambling Commission has claimed to be skin betting.