A YouTuber has appeared in court charged with offences under the Gambling Act, in what is reportedly the first court case involving betting on video games.
Craig Douglas, 31, of Robinia Close, Hainault, appeared at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on Friday, for alleged offences of advertising unlawful gambling and inviting children to gamble.
Also charged with the first offence was Dylan Rigby, of Colchester, as well as providing provision of facilities for betting.
The Gambling Commission, which brought the prosecution, confirmed the alleged conduct was in relation to virtual currency, used in some video games.
It investigated the website futgalaxy.com, which is unavailable in the UK, in relation to the charges.
Mr Douglas, who uses the name NepentheZ on YouTube, has 1.3 million subscribers and his videos have been watched more than 345m times.
He uploads clips discussing the football game Fifa.
Mr Douglas has continued tweeting and posting videos on YouTube, since his court appearance.
The pair are due again at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on October 14.
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