Newsbrief: Craig Douglas and Dylan Rigby, both of whom are popular YouTubers and co-owners of a FIFA-centric gambling site, have changed their pleas from not guilty to guilty in the UK court case against their gambling operation.
The UK Gambling Commission alleges that both Douglas and Rigby promoted their website FUT Galaxy, which uses FIFA 17 currency to bet on real-world soccer matches, to minors through their YouTube channel. Notably, the case was the first video game-related gambling offense brought to court in the UK.
Douglas and Rigby entered a plea of not guilty shortly after the charges were first presented last year, but both individuals have switched to a guilty plea now that the case has gone to trial.
As detailed by the BBC, Douglas pled guilty to two charges related to advertising and running an unlicensed gambling operation, while Rigby pled guilty to three.
EA’s FIFA 17 isn’t the only game accused of being used by YouTubers to attract younger players into unregulated gambling markets. Valve has had its fair share of problems with similar activities in its game Counter-Strike Global Offensive, including a pair of popular YouTubers being similarly accused of using their channel to promote gambling to minors. Though, unlike this recent FIFA case, the class action lawsuit against Valve and the two US YouTubers was dismissed.