The online gambling platform Unikrn recently added Rocket League to the library of eSports titles it takes bets on, and the game’s developer is less than pleased.
Online gambling centered around eSports has become a hot ticket issue for developers and government regulators in recent years, and its momentum does not seem to be slowing.
Unikrn in particular supports bets on other eSports mainstays, like Overwatch, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and League of Legends, though real-money bets are only available (and legal) in select countries.
As reported by GameSpot, Unikrn announced yesterday that the website has been approved by Australian regulators to offer odds and take bets in the country for Season 3 of the Rocket League Championship Series.
Psyonix, Rocket League’s developer, was quick to note that this decision nothing to do with Psyonix, and that the developer is not in favor of the latest addition to Unikrn’s roster. In a statement given to GameSpot, the company said that “Psyonix is not affiliated with Unikrn, nor do we support or endorse online betting for our game.”
Many developers and legal bodies alike worry about the growing business of eSports-centric gambling, and those concerns are only on the rise. Though online gambling is largely illegal in the United States, Counter-Strike developer Valve has caught legal flack for unregulated online betting sites that the game’s tradable skins as a stand-ins for cash bets, so it’s no surprise that other game developers aren’t eager to see their games pulled into the online gambling world.