Wargaming's Mohamed Fadl: "You're Stupid To Say Betting Is Bad"

The Head of Global Competitive Gaming over at Wargaming, Mohamed Fadl, recently made a few insightful comments to Gamespot about betting in eSports and World of Tanks:

"You're stupid to say betting is bad," Fadl started off. "It's a natural part of sports."

He's not wrong, and goes to show that while some companies—e.g. Psyonix—worry about their games becoming platforms for gambling, others see it as a natural progression, one that helps segue competitive games into the mainstream. Of course, Fadl, admits that betting can be a problem, such as in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, but can be handled correctly to help both games and their communities thrive.

"I believe betting down the road will be one of the major incomes for esports or streaming platforms," Fadl said.

I don't doubt that.

Fadl also commented on the longevity of World of Tanks, and is confident saying the game could maintain its popularity in the decades ahead. I did recently meet someone who called World of Tanks "the thinking player's game."

We'll have to wait to see if Fadl's comments come true. What does seem clear is that if there's a popular betting scene in World of Tanks, Wargaming will not be offended.