Trevor Martin
American YouTuber and co-owner of CSGO Lotto
- Entries
- 9
- On the record
- 7
- Stories
- 1
- Latest entry
- Mar 1, 2026
The record
Trevor Martin, who posts on YouTube as TmarTn, co-owned the Counter-Strike skin gambling site CSGO Lotto with fellow YouTuber Thomas Cassell. In July 2016 he posted a video saying his connection to the site had been a matter of public record since the company was organized in December 2015, and apologized to viewers who felt that was not made clear enough. He said he did not condone underage gambling, then took the video down.
The same month he was added as a defendant in a Florida class action brought by a mother on behalf of her son, and he was also named in a federal suit in Seattle, McLeod v. Valve. There, Judge John C. Coughenour granted the motion to dismiss filed by CSGO Lotto and Martin, holding that gambling losses were not a RICO injury and that the court lacked jurisdiction over the remaining state law claims.
In September 2017 the Federal Trade Commission brought what it called its first case against individual social media influencers, alleging Martin and Cassell promoted the site in their own videos without disclosing they owned it and paid other influencers to promote it. The final consent order, approved 2-0 in November 2017, requires clear disclosure of material connections and carries no fine.
Roles and honours on the record
Every entry, newest first
- Reported
Valve's public response disputing the New York lawsuit, March 11, 2026 FTC settled with CSGO Lotto's owners over undisclosed promotion
- Filed
New York v. Valve loot-box gambling lawsuit, filed February 25, 2026 FTC settled with CSGO Lotto's owners over undisclosed promotion
- Ruled
FTC settlement with Martin and Cassell requiring disclosure, finalized December 1, 2017 FTC settled with CSGO Lotto's owners over undisclosed promotion
Stories in this file
The record, entry by entry
- 2016-07 Filed A Florida class action filed by a mother on behalf of her minor son against Valve was updated to add CSGO Lotto Inc., Martin and Cassell as defendants, alleging violations of federal anti-racketeering law and Florida consumer protection law. ESPN report
- 2016-07-06 Admitted In a video titled I'm Sorry, Martin said his connection to CSGO Lotto had been a matter of public record since the company was organized in December 2015, apologized to viewers who felt it was not made clear enough, and said he did not condone underage gambling. He later removed the video. Game Informer report
- 2016-10-04 Ruled U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour in Seattle granted the motion to dismiss in McLeod v. Valve, ruling that gambling losses are not sufficient injury to business or property for RICO standing. Game Developer report
- 2016-11-22 Ruled An amended order granted CSGO Lotto and Martin's motion to dismiss, found no class-action (CAFA) jurisdiction and dismissed the remaining state law claims for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. Valve's motion to compel arbitration was denied as moot. U.S. District Court, W.D. Washington, amended order, No. C16-1227-JCC (CourtListener copy)
- 2017-09-07 Filed The FTC alleged that Martin and Cassell posted videos of themselves gambling on CSGO Lotto without disclosing they owned it, and that the company paid other influencers $2,500 to $55,000 to promote the site without requiring disclosure. The two agreed to a proposed settlement. Federal Trade Commission, press release
- 2017-11-29 Official After public comment, the Commission voted 2-0 to approve the final consent order, which bars Martin, Cassell and CSGOLotto, Inc. from misrepresenting that endorsers are independent users and requires clear disclosure of material connections. Federal Trade Commission, press release
Documents
- Amended order granting motion to dismiss, McLeod v. Valve, No. C16-1227-JCC (Nov. 22, 2016)
- FTC press release on the complaint and proposed settlement (Sept. 7, 2017)
- FTC press release approving the final consent order (Nov. 29, 2017)
- ESPN report on the Florida class action naming Martin (July 2016)
Sources behind this file
- HLTV report, Valve's response to the New York lawsuit
- PC Gamer report, Valve faces second class-action over loot boxes
- Reuters report, New York sues Valve over loot boxes
- Polygon report, CSGO Lotto lawyer's defense
- PC Gamer report, FTC finalizes CSGO Lotto settlement
- Polygon report, Counter-Strike gambling scandal ends with FTC settlement
- Polygon report, YouTubers revealed as CSGO Lotto owners