Two gaming YouTubers have been charged with promoting illegal gambling in Britain, after encouraging their viewers to gamble with the in-game currency in EA’s FIFA games.
Craig Douglas, who runs the NepentheZ YouTube channel, and Dylan Rigby, who used to post videos on the (now deactivated) FUTgalaxy channel, appeared in court in Birmingham.
Along with more general videos about FIFA, the YouTubers posted about making bets using FIFA coins, ignoring concerns that they could be breaking the law. According to the BBC, the U.K.’s Gambling commission is concerned that children may be drawn into illegal gambling after watching this kind of content.
The relevant videos have been blocked to U.K. viewers, with videos like “FUTGALAXY – FIFA BETS, FIFA PACKS & FIFA 16 COINS!” being replaced with a message saying, “This content is not available on this country domain due to a legal complaint from the government.”
Rigby’s channel has been shut down, but Douglas continues to tweet and post videos about FIFA.
Guys, I love you all. Testing times right now, but your support is immense. Thank you. <3
— NepentheZ (@NepentheZ) September 18, 2016
MY FINAL FIFA 16 PACK OPENING! https://t.co/DGkVC5ozWp
— NepentheZ (@NepentheZ) September 17, 2016
H/T BBC