From Champion to Cheater: CSGO Pro Exposed for Skin Betting Scam

Another controversy involving a pro player has the esports community in an uproar. This time, the focus is on a Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CSGO) professional who is suspected of scamming his own colleagues by gambling with their expensive in-game skins and losing them.

The unexpected discovery shook the gaming industry and caused grave doubts about the fairness of professional esports. In this blog article, we examine the specifics of this growth story and consider its broader industry ramifications.

On June 5, 2021, Thai esports organization Team NKT made accusations against an Asian CSGO pro, shocking the CSGO community. Azbayar ‘Senzu’ Munkhbold, a professional player who is accused of taking colleagues’ skins and using them to wager on CSGO matches. The professional athlete allegedly admitted to the scam, per Team NKT.

In CSGO, players can wager their skins in the widely used esports betting format known as skin betting. The skins may be won or bought and are used to adorn weapons. Due to its connections to illicit marketplaces, unregulated markets and underage gambling, skin betting is a regular target for drama.

This CSGO professional player is accused of defrauding his colleagues by utilizing their skins for illegal gambling, which raises significant claims against him. The amount of money involved in the plan is yet unknown, but the charges have shocked and infuriated the CSGO community.

His former teammate, Hansel ‘BnTeT’ Ferdinand, expressed his disappointment in a statement:

“It’s really sad to see a person I thought I knew so well scamming us for skins. He then attempted to lie to us and avoid paying us back.”

CSGO skins are virtual cosmetic items that players can use to customize their weapons in the game. Some skins can be worth thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars. In this case, Senzu gambled away skins that his teammates had lent him, allegedly without their consent.

It is unclear when exactly Senzu gambled away the skins and whether this played a role in his being benched from the team in April. However, it has been reported that NKT, Senzu’s current team, is willing to entertain offers for him. Despite this scandal, Senzu is still regarded as one of Mongolia’s top prospects.

Senzu has played for several teams before joining NKT, including The Black Company, The Shine, and The MongolZ. It remains to be seen how this scandal will impact his future in CSGO esports and whether it will affect the popularity of skin betting.