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Michael van Gerwen thrashed Phil Taylor to claim his second Premier League title with an 11-3 victory at the O2 Arena on Thursday. Van Gerwen defeated Adrian Lewis in the semi-final before seeing off Taylor World number one Van Gerwen was barely troubled throughout Finals Night, seeing off Adrian Lewis in his semi-final to set up a date with The Power who beat defending champion Gary Anderson in their last-four encounter.Playing in his fourth consecutive Premier League final, MVG wasted little time in getting out of the traps, racing into a 7-3 lead at the interval and it was the tenth leg just before the break that proved so crucial. With Taylor needing tops, MVG took out 100 with two double tops of his own and that seemed to suck the life out of Taylor, who had led 2-1. Van Gerwen claimed his second Premier League title with a dominant victory over Taylor As he had done earlier in the night, Van Gerwen returned with ruthless efficiency, taking out four unanswered legs to claim a comprehensive victory over Taylor, who remains without a major title since the 2014 Grand Slam of Darts.For Van Gerwen, it is a second Premier League title and a first since 2013 and after topping the regular standings for a fourth straight year as well as setting a new world-record TV average during Week Four, he appears an unstoppable force. Premier League Finals Night recap A dramatic night at the O2 - as it happened There were two moments for me - the sixth leg and that 100 finish in leg 10, Wayne Mardle told Sky Sports.Instead of going 6-4, it went 7-3 and that absolutely devastated Phil Taylor and he was a spent force. Phil was finding it hard to keep tabs with Michael anyway and at that point, that 100 finish was just what he did not need.He [Taylor] came back from the break and he looked beaten. He had a couple of legs, but Michael quelled his enthusiasm and he couldnt get up and running again. Phil Taylor returned to Finals Night but had to settle for runners-up spot Van Gerwen has now won the Masters, the Dutch and German Masters as well as the UK Open this season and will have his sights fixed on the rest of the majors after a stunning start to the year.However, Mardle says it will be difficult for the Dutchman to secure a clean sweep, he missed out on the Premier League and World Championship last year despite a fantastic season.It will be tough to win everything, explained Mardle, because last year he was as dominant as we have seen anyone, apart from Phil Taylor. Losing finalist Taylor says Van Gerwen put him under extreme pressure during his Premier League final and he could not match the Dutchman But he [MVG] couldnt win the world title - that went to Gary Anderson - and he couldnt win this [Premier League]. He has put this right tonight... but to win it all, I am not sure.Earlier in the night, Van Gerwen had beaten an out-of-sorts Lewis with a blistering display after the interval.Jackpot had mounted a comeback to close to within two legs at the break but a trademark surge through the gears from van Gerwen left Lewis trailing and four straight legs was enough to seal a 10-4 victory and a place in the final.In the other semi-final, Anderson had matched Taylor to trail 5-4, but The Power registered a crucial break at the interval which turned the game in his favour. Defending Premier League champion Gary Anderson was beaten at The O2 Anderson could not get going and despite a late rally from the Flying Scotsman, Taylor held on to claim a 10-7 victory and a place in the final - although it was to be Van Gerwen who had the final say. Also See: PL Darts Finals Night - as it happened Dalton Risner Broncos Jersey . Manuel was offered a position the day he was fired. He accepted earlier this week and the team made the announcement Friday. Shannon Sharpe Jersey .Y. -- Sabres forward Drew Stafford has witnessed plenty of turmoil during his eight seasons in Buffalo. http://www.thebroncosstoreonline.com/Youth-Von-Miller-Broncos-Jerseys/ .C. - The Carolina Hurricanes have placed backup goalie Anton Khudobin on injured reserve with an unspecified lower-body injury. Karl Mecklenburg Broncos Jersey . They had already blown a double-digit lead, fans were hitting the exits, and a long seven-game road trip waited at the end. John Elway Broncos Jersey . The phone hearing is scheduled for 4:30pm et/1:30pm pt. Winchester, who was not penalized for the hit, appeared to make contact with Kellys head early in the first period of Thursdays game in Boston. The past few months have seen a meaningful surge in coverage surrounding the betting side of the esports industry, and it hasnt been pretty. Back in April, Bloomberg published a significant investigative piece detailing the scope of the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive skin betting marketplace and many of the issues stemming from that industry. This article, coupled with a public scandal involving the skin betting site CSGO Diamonds, helped spur a class action suit against Valve. Then two weeks ago, a video from prominent YouTuber h3h3Productions helped shed light on a wide array of issues, including potential fraud, related to the prominent betting site CSGO Lotto.Valve had remained silent throughout this mounting controversy, but its silence ended yesterday. Valve issued a statement entitled In Game Item Trading Update that could mark the demise of skin betting as we know it. While Valves stance seems relatively black and white, the language used in the statement leaves open as many questions as it answers. I will parse through that language to offer more insight into Valves decision and what it means for the future of betting surrounding Valve titles, including Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.Analyzing Valves statementIn 2011, we added a feature to Steam that enabled users to trade in-game items as a way to make it easier for people to get the items they wanted in games featuring in-game economies.Since then a number of gambling sites started leveraging the Steam trading system, and theres been some false assumptions about our involvement with these sites. Wed like to clarify that we have no business relationships with any of these sites. We have never received any revenue from them. And Steam does not have a system for turning in-game items into real world currency.As far as I know, this is completely true. It could be argued that Valve has supported gambling sites to a certain extent by allowing users to log in via Steam, and Valve games have certainly become more popular as a result of these sites. But that is not the same thing as receiving revenue from their operations. Perhaps more information will come to light over time to support the allegations leveled against Valve in the class action lawsuit filed in Connecticut, but I havent seen any credible evidence that contradicts Valves assertion in its public statement.These sites have basically pieced together their operations in a two-part fashion. First, they are using the OpenID API as a way for users to prove ownership of their Steam accounts and items. Any other information they obtain about a users Steam account is either manually disclosed by the user or obtained from the users Steam Community profile (when the user has chosen to make their profile public). Second, they create automated Steam accounts that make the same web calls as individual Steam users.Using the OpenID API and making the same web calls as Steam users to run a gambling business is not allowed by our API nor our user agreements.This is the crux of Valves position, and judging from the public reaction thus far, it has been largely misunderstood. It does not appear that Valve is banning third-party sites from using Steam accounts to facilitate skin betting. At least, not yet. If you run a search in the Steam Web API Terms of Use and Steam Subscriber Agreement, the word gambling is nowhere to be found. In fact, the API Terms of Use havent been updated since July 2010, before the trading marketplace was even implemented and long before skins were introduced to CS:GO in 2013 through the Arms Deal update.Instead, Valves issue seems to be with the fact that gambling sites create automated Steam accounts that make the same web calls as individual Steam users. This naturally begs two questions: Does this affect sites that use automated Steam accounts to make API calls for purposes other than gambling? Can gambling sites continue to use the API so long as they dont make automated calls?The dominant skin marketplace website, OPSkins, released a statement yesterday that it doesnt believe it is impacted by Valves statement because it is not a gambling site. While it is certainly true that OPSkins users cannot gamble on the site, it does not appear to address the fact that OPSkins makes precisely the same type of automated API calls as betting sites in order to facilitate the large volume of transactions.Meanwhile, gambling sites such as Bets.gg have stated that they will continue to operate, and intend to implement changes to comply with the ToS update from Valve. While its nnot entirely clear how Bets.ddddddddddddgg or other gambling sites could alter their behavior in order to comply with the API and other Valve user agreements, the fact is that Valves current position leaves room for them to do so.Thus, Valves statement creates a level of uncertainty that will have to be addressed. At present, its far from clear which sites will and will not be allowed to access the API moving forward.We are going to start sending notices to these sites requesting they cease operations through Steam, and further pursue the matter as necessary. Users should probably consider this information as they manage their in-game item inventory and trade activity.This is where the rubber meets the road. At the end of the day, the real impact will come from Valves enforcement, not from the statement itself. Will Valve enforce the API restrictions against all third parties, or just gambling sites? Will Valve actively monitor the situation and eliminate new sites as they arise, or will it take a more passive approach?Perhaps the biggest uncertainty surrounds whether Valve will go after all forms of gambling (including betting on the outcome of esports matches), or if Valve is targeting traditional gambling activities such as coin flips, lotteries and similar games. In its statement, Valve consistently uses the word gambling, as opposed to betting. This could be an attempt to draw a distinction between certain types of wagering activities, or it could have no significance at all.Only time will tell how all of this plays out. But from where Im sitting, there simply isnt enough information in Valves short statement for anyone to do more than speculate.Impact on the esports landscapeDespite the uncertainty surrounding yesterdays statement, its great to see Valve taking action in this area. We are rapidly approaching a critical mass of negative publicity that could have a significant impact on the longevity of the second-most popular esport in the world, as well as the interests of every party involved in that competitive ecosystem. If unregulated skin betting is allowed to continue unchecked, broader backlash and the advent of regulation from parties who do not understand our industry is inevitable.I sincerely hope that Valves statement marks the beginning of the end for unregulated, unlicensed betting sites that prey on underage users and offer no safeguards against fraud, threats to competitive integrity and much more. That being said, Im not sure today is that day.The fact that Valves statement relies on API misuse is particularly telling. So long as sites can find a way to comply with the terms of use, they may be allowed to continue operating.There is also the potential that Valves stance could be overboard, eliminating all skin-based betting, not simply the sites that operate illegally.It is often overlooked that skins offer a unique type of betting unit that could change the face of gambling as we know it. While many people buy, sell and gamble skins purely as a form of currency, skins are designed to be used, not merely held. In stark contrast to pure cash, a skin may become less valuable to a user over time while maintaining its value to another user who doesnt own that particular skin. As such, it offers the rare opportunity for gambling with reduced negative consequences for the loser. It is a fundamentally different type of gambling transaction, one that could represent a watershed opportunity for the gambling industry.I dont think it is good for anyone to simply eliminate the potential to bet using skins, and I hope Valve isnt going down this path.The problem isnt betting. The problem is unlicensed, unregulated betting. So long as it is done responsibly, betting can drive engagement and additional revenue streams, with manageable negative impacts. There is ample empirical and anecdotal evidence that shows gambling can be good for esports viewership. But that doesnt mean we should stand by and allow the fraud, false advertising and other illegal behavior that has surfaced over the past few months to go unchecked.Im glad to see Valve acknowledge that it has a role to play in eradicating bad actors. As it moves forward and enforces its position, I hope that Valve will strike the right balance between eliminating problematic behavior while permitting gambling in a legal, regulated and responsible manner.Disclosure: Bryce Blum is the General Counsel at Unikrn. ' ' '