YouTuber NepentheZ broadcasts "FIFA 16" player stats for his audience. (Photo : YouTube/NepentheZ)
Two "FIFA" YouTubers are now charged with offenses under the new gambling law of Britain. The country's gambling commission is paying close attention to the growing popularity of virtual gambling.
According to BBC, popular YouTuber NepentheZ has been charged with promoting gambling using the "FIFA Ultimate" Team coins. NepentheZ, also known as Craig Douglas, has also been charged of advertising unlawful gambling and inviting children to gamble. His YouTube channel has more than 1.3 million subscribers.
Douglas is known for his FIFA videos that feature lines like Top 20 fastest players in FIFA 17 and other bets. He also gives a breakdown of different facts like player abilities, stat comparisons, and promoting gambling sites.
Dylan Rigby is Douglas's business partner in this gambling venture. He owns the FUTgalaxy channel, which is now deactivated. Both of the accused are from Essex.
The two accused YouTubers are the directors of the Game Gold Tradings Limited. They also own various gaming and gambling sites.
The gambling sites are the TheFUTShop.com and MUTCoinTrader, which are now both offline. These sites let gamblers buy and trade in-game coins for gambling.
The FUTGalaxy channel has been deactivated from within the United Kingdom. If it was accessed outside the country or through a proxy, it will state that it will re-open for "FIFA 17" in a few days.
The two YouTubers could become well known as being one of the first prosecutions under Britain's new Gambling Act. They will appear at the Birmingham Magistrates' Court. The case that they will face will be adjourned until Oct. 14.
The UK Gambling Commission has charged the two men after their investigation. It has also investigated a previous gambling site earlier this year. YouTubers Trevor Martin and Tom Cassell owned a gambling website that promoted gambling to a young audience.
A Gambling Commission spokesperson told Eurogamer in an interview that they are currently paying close attention to the growing popularity of virtual gambling. These sites use virtual or in-game items for trading, selling, or to be used for virtual currencies to gamble with other people.
The spokesperson said that if the players are being invited to gamble with money or any other item, then it requires an operating license. The commission does not want to criticize websites individually because it might harm their reputation unjustifiably.
Check out accused YouTuber NepentheZ's video below:
