Following the scandal last year that involved Counter-Strike: GO gambling, it seems that Valve has turned their attention to their other games, such as Team Fortress 2. Given that gambling platforms and gamblers no longer see CS: GO as being that lucrative anymore, we guess it makes sense that they are turning to Team Fortress 2 instead.
However like we said, Valve is having none of this and are looking to nip it in the bud before it becomes a bigger issue. In a statement posted on the Team Fortress website, “In July of last year we outlined our position on gambling web sites, specifically noting that Valve has no business relationship with these sites. At that time we also began blocking many CSGO gambling accounts. […] More recently, some gambling web sites started leveraging TF2 items. Today we began the process of blocking TF2 gambling accounts as well. We recommend you don’t trade with these sites.”
This is a similar tactic that Valve employed last year when they started to go after gambling websites and accounts that were involved in the gambling of CS: GO skins. Better late than never, we guess. However it seems that despite Valve’s efforts, last year they found themselves as a target of a lawsuit in which a Counter-Strike player had accused the company of fostering a gambling market.