Last week, Valve announced that it was going to start taking action against the various Steam-based gambling sites, but no details were announced at that time. The details are here now, though, and it’s clear that Valve isn’t joking around. Cease & Desist letters have been sent to over 20 different sites, including one site focused around Dota 2 and several centered around Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
While a Cease & Desist letter does not have any legal weight in and of itself, sending it indicates that the sender is willing to pursue legal action, and this seems like the leading edge of a crackdown rather than a token gesture. It remains unclear how this will affect Valve’s outstanding lawsuit claiming that the company permitted gambling sites to operate and even profited off of them.
