Valve moves to dismiss gambling lawsuit against Counter-Strike 2 cases

Valve has moved to dismiss a lawsuit brought by the Attorney General of New York, which alleges that the sale of Cases in Counter-Strike 2 is promoting unregulated gambling to underage gamers. In a filing on May 18, Valve argued that it would be a "slippery slope" if they were punished, claiming that a decision against them could open the door to similar litigation against baseball cards, Labubus, and more.

In Counter-Strike 2, players can spend money to open Cases, which each contain CS2 skins for guns. These can then be used in-game to show off your own personal style, or sold on the Steam Marketplace to other players for real cash.

In February 2026, Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit against Valve, alleging that the developer has "made billions of dollars luring its users, many of whom are teenagers or younger, to engage in gambling in the hopes of winning expensive virtual items that they can cash in on." The suit, which was filed in New York's Supreme Court, aims to stop Valve from promoting gambling features and pay fines in the State of New York.

In its filing, Valve, which is asking New York Supreme Court Justice Nancy Bannon to dismiss the case with prejudice, stated that each opening of a Case "involves the purchase of randomized items that can be resold for cash. People enjoy surprises. Part of the appeal of many popular collectibles, from baseball cards to cereal boxes, is the possibility of opening a sealed package and being surprised with a rare item. [Skins] are designed for entertainment and have subjective and aesthetic value to users."

Regarding the possible ban on Cases in CS2, Valve stated it would "inject uncertainty into hundreds of daily commercial transactions" and again questioned the effect such a verdict would have on other industries.

"Can parents purchase packs of baseball cards for their children? Can families go to Chuck E. Cheese to play games of chance and exchange winning tickets for prizes? Can a child reach into a cereal box and grab a surprise toy? All these actions and more could lead to chargeable crimes under [the New York Attorney General's] interpretation of gambling."

James is seeking damages worth three times the amount Valve has profited from cases, and would also look to ban the company from selling them to players in the State of New York.

This isn't the only legal issue Valve is currently facing, as the developer is also fighting a lawsuit in the United Kingdom that claims they discourage competition by locking publishers into "Platform Parity Obligations" that prevent them from selling their games at more competitive prices on other platforms.