🎰 FTC settled with CSGO Lotto's owners over undisclosed promotion

Trevor Martin and Tom Cassell's 2017 deal was the FTC's first with influencers. In 2026 New York sued Valve over loot boxes; Valve disputes it. 🗣️

By , creators desk · Desk editor Gustavs Ērkšķis-Kreicbergs · · 2 min read

Tom CassellSETTLEDPhoto: Meet The Metcalf's on YouTube · CC BY 3.0

Photo: Meet The Metcalf's on YouTube, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Desaturated and cropped by MrScandal.

What we know

  • CSGO Lotto was owned by YouTubers Trevor "TmarTn" Martin and Tom "Syndicate" Cassell, with equity support from Josh "JoshOG" Beaver, none of whom disclosed the relationship in videos promoting the site.
  • In September 2017 the Federal Trade Commission reached an agreement with Martin and Cassell requiring them to disclose business ties in future promotional videos; the deal was finalized that December.
  • The FTC described it as the agency's first settlement with "social media influencers," and used the case to update its endorsement guidelines for social media.
  • The lawyer representing Martin and Cassell argued CSGO Lotto should not count as a gambling site, since its fine print let users request entry tickets without using skins at all.
  • New York Attorney General Letitia James sued Valve in February 2026, alleging that weapon-case mechanics in Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2 and Team Fortress 2 amount to illegal gambling under state law; Valve disputed the allegations the following month.

In September 2017, the Federal Trade Commission arranged what it called its first settlement with "social media influencers": an order requiring Trevor "TmarTn" Martin and Tom "Syndicate" Cassell to disclose any business ties in future promotional videos. The underlying conduct was simple. Martin and Cassell owned the skin-gambling site CSGO Lotto, and promoted it to their subscribers without ever saying so. A third man, Josh "JoshOG" Beaver, held equity in the site and kept equally quiet about it. The agreement was finalized that December.

The defense on record

The lawyer representing Martin and Cassell pushed back on the premise itself, arguing CSGO Lotto should not be classified as a gambling site at all: its fine print let users request entry tickets for free, without ever touching a skin, which the lawyer compared to how McDonald's Monopoly promotions are run. Valve, for its part, briefly blocked CSGO Lotto from Steam services after the ownership story broke - then reversed it, calling it a volunteer moderator's mistake.

"its first settlement with "social media influencers""

the FTC, announcing the September 2017 agreement

Nine years on, Valve gets sued

New York Attorney General Letitia James filed suit against Valve in February 2026, alleging that weapon-case mechanics in Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2 and Team Fortress 2 function as illegal gambling under state law and expose younger players to it. Valve disputed the allegations in a public response the following month. A separate class action, filed in Washington in March 2026 by the law firm Hagens Berman, makes a similar claim; its lead lawyer, Steve Berman, said it aims to "put money back in the pockets of consumers."

The 2017 settlement carried no fine. The second round is a state attorney general and a class action, and neither has a ruling yet.

By the numbers

  • 8y 3mfrom first to latest entry on recordDec 2017 to Mar 2026, 3 dated entries in the file
  • 7receipts behind this story6 news reports, 1 statement, 2016 to 2026

Counted by MrScandal from the receipts, the Files and our rankings.

The Trevor Martin file

Last entry Mar 1, 2026
  1. Reported

    Valve's public response disputing the New York lawsuit, March 11, 2026 This story

  2. Filed

    New York v. Valve loot-box gambling lawsuit, filed February 25, 2026 This story

  3. Ruled

    FTC settlement with Martin and Cassell requiring disclosure, finalized December 1, 2017 This story

On file: The Trevor Martin file

The Ledger

On the record

  • The FTC's September 2017 settlement with Martin and Cassell over undisclosed ownership of CSGO Lotto - its first such action against social media influencers.
  • New York's attorney general sued Valve in February 2026 over loot-box mechanics in three games; Valve has disputed the claims.

Still rumour

  • Whether the 2026 New York lawsuit or the Hagens Berman class action will produce a ruling on skin gambling's legality - neither has reached a verdict or settlement yet.

That's the record. The rest is rumour. - MrViral

Next on the docket

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