Warning: This article includes mentions of racist language and other potentially offensive content. These aspects were included to give readers the full context of the individuals and companies involved in the stories, and were not intended to offend.
An alleged incident of racist abuse at Austin airport has once again brought to light the controversial online Counter-Strike-themed casino, CSGOEmpire, reigniting the debate over the ethics of advertising the online casino.
Melan1n, Counter-Strike community member and coach, was returning from his time at the BLAST.tv Austin Major, when the alleged racist incident occurred.
Melan1n claims that Paul Miller, known online as ‘Gypsy Crusader,’ racially abused the member of the CS community, stating: “Just got called a n****r at the Austin airport by Gypsy Crusader, the tweet I’m typing out right now doesn’t even seem REAL due to the absurdity of it all but this is the nation we live in unfortunately.”
The pair appear to have had their initial confrontation while passing through airport security. Later in the day, Melan1n posted a follow-up video that shows Miller clearly using racist language several times, calling Melan1n a “f*****g n****r” as the two exchanged insults.
The official CSGOEmpire X account then replied to the tweet with further racist language, stating: “Shut up n*****r”.
Counter-Strike: Gypsy Crusader and CSGOEmpire
Miller is one of eight listed affiliates on the online casino, CSGOEmpire’s X page, alongside several members of CSGOEmpire’s staff including owner Monarch. Twitter affiliation is a marketing tactic where users can promote a website, service, or product using an affiliate link, which results in the user receiving some form of commission.
For Miller, those affiliation promotions take the form of X posts, often promoting his streaming content, which typically revolves around streaming Omegle interactions in which Miller allegedly abuses minorities.
A recent such example shows far-right extremist Miller, of Roma and Mexican descent according to PBS, promoting Nazi SS badges, amongst other merchandise, before linking to CSGOEmpire.
Alleged racist incident raises questions over Counter-Strike advertising practices
The incident has raised online discourse regarding the continued promotion of CSGOEmpire by advertising partners, most notably HLTV. Counter-Strike’s most popular esports source, HLTV, remains linked to CSGOEmpire through advertising and betting referrals.
CSGOEmpire sparked controversy at the PGL Copenhagen Major in March 2024, due to Monarch’s organisation of a stage-rush which interrupted the quarter-final between Mouz and G2. The incident, which delayed major proceedings by over 30 minutes and resulted in damage to the trophy, was allegedly targeted at G2 sponsor, and CSGOEmpire competitor, CSGORoll.
Widely condemned amongst the Counter-Strike community, the stage-rush was followed by a YouTube documentary by Stephen ‘Coffeezilla’ Findeisen in December 2024, which outlined the incident as well as several aspects of CSGOEmpire’s business practices, noting alleged intimidation of competitors and financial incentives to investigate competitors.
This latest controversy has raised the question again of the ethics of such sponsorships, with Dust2.us Editor in Chief, Jeffrey ‘Mnmzzz’ Moore, sharing his perspective, tweeting: “In case any websites are wondering what they’re supporting when they run CSGOEmpire ads or have them in their betting portals.”
CSGOEmpire does not have a gambling license in the UK, and is therefore not selected for HLTV’s betting referrals in the UK. However, the CSGOEmpire section of HLTV’s betting portal is still visible, in which it describes the site as “focused on ease of use and transparency.”
Esports News UK has reached out to HLTV for comment, but is yet to receive a reply.
Darragh Harbinson is an esports writer specialising in Counter-Strike. He has written for Esports News UK, Esports Insider, UKCSGO, Dexerto, and Rush B Media.
