UKGC Questions Legitimacy of Hearthstone Tournament Gambling

Live and online Hearthstone tournaments are being played for real money under the banner of eSports. But the U.K. Gambling Commission is skeptical as to whether Hearthstone tournaments are skill-based or pure gambling.

As reported by the Daily Dot, the UKGC released a paper that discusses the blurred lines between “social gaming products,” and the eSports gambling market.

Blizzard’s Hearthstone, a digital card game, is mentioned multiple times in the report.

At the heart of the paper is trying to figure out what constitutes “gaming.” UK law defines the term as games of chance that revolve around luck, rather than skill.

Any site that offers gambling must have a license with the UKGC. Here’s one excerpt from the paper, which you can see here:

“Many eSports appear to fall within the definitions of gaming. For example, we are aware of card based games, where players can win prizes, which appear to have similar game mechanics to poker (such as an RNG to determine which cards are dealt to a player) and do not require a stake. In our view such games fall within the definition of gaming that would be illegal without a licence.”

Hearthstone is currently the only digital card game that’s considered an eSport. The UKGC will finish their discussion on how exactly to qualify Hearthstone going forward by September 30.

ESports gambling has grabbed headlines throughout the UK, Australia, and America amid the growth of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive betting.

Valve, which developed CS:GO, has been taking heat over their lack of action towards curbing CSGO betting. The criticisms have only grown louder with more teens gambling on the game.

As EuroGamer points out, eSports gambling has escaped UK regulation, despite offering services to many Brits.

ESports gambling sites can set up easily and shut down quickly, which makes them hard to monitor. These same sites – almost all of which are outside the UK – attempt to squash legal complications by stating that UK residents shouldn’t play at their sites.

Hearthstone has mostly escaped these discussions, but based on the UKGC’s latest report, its gambling aspect may gain more attention over the coming months.

Hearthstone has become popular because, much like poker, it does feature some skill. However, it also includes plenty of luck, which the UKGC is focusing on while trying to classify the game.