Counter-Strike gambling site CSGOEmpire has issued an apology after an incident where fans rushed the stage during Counter-Strike 2’s first Major in Copenhagen last fortnight in protest against rival site CSGORoll.
In an April 6 statement from the gambling platform on X (formerly Twitter), CSGOEmpire apologized for its involvement in a stage rush incident during the G2 vs. MOUZ quarterfinal at the CS2 PGL Copenhagen Major. “We intended to send a message, but it was a mistake on our part to punish the wrong people, and things blew out of proportion,” CSGOEmpire said in the post. “We will also soon move our gambling customers over to Duel.com, which will be unrelated to Valve or Counter-Strike.”
While the platform admitted its mistake, it continued to condemn G2’s partnership with CSGORoll and declared that its mission would simply take a new form. A few minutes before the stage rush occurred, CSGOEmpire had posted a manifesto titled “The War We Wage,” accusing G2 of partnering with CSGORoll—a rival platform that reportedly scammed its users of millions of dollars.
Additionally, several pamphlets about G2 and CSGORoll’s partnership were distributed among the fans gathered in the Royal Arena just hours before the protest. Considering that the pamphlets demanded G2 chief executive Alban Dechelotte end the partnership and resign from his position, it’s no surprise that the invaders chose G2’s match to storm the Major stage. For the incident, the gambling platform was panned by pros and the wider community alike.
It’s also interesting to note that four days after the protest, CSGOEmpire tweeted that its P2P trading wasn’t working due to “tracking issues with today’s Valve API changes.” While they promised that there’s a solution and it will resume in a few days, they have now come out with an apology and put the CSGOEmpire brand to an end altogether. The site will be moving operations to Duel.com, a “crypto casino,” supposedly away from anything Valve or CS2-related.
The community was quick to point towards a possible reason behind CSGOEmpire’s move, believing Valve’s response disabled CSGOEmpire’s ability to properly operate in the CS2 ecosystem. HLTV journalist Danish “Nohte” Allana also responded, indicating the site’s primary source of revenue through CS2 was in jeopardy due to the actions of the leadership group and the stage invaders. “Hope a cease and desist from Valve will be in your inbox soon if it isn’t already,” he added.
Until the shift to Duel.com, it appears CSGOEmpire is up and running, with only cryptocurrency deposits and withdrawals operational.
