Valve is facing a lawsuit regarding loot boxes in Counter-Strike 2. However, the company has a statement explaining why this is not a form of gambling.
What is this lawsuit about? The New York District Attorney accuses Valve of violating the gambling laws of the US state and announced on February 25, 2026, that it intends to sue the company behind Steam.
The agency filed a lawsuit “to curb Valve’s illegal behavior and protect New Yorkers,” claiming that loot boxes are addictive and harmful, thus illegal. Valve has profited billions of dollars by allowing both children and adults to gamble illegally for valuable virtual prizes.
Valve already addressed the lawsuit on March 11, 2026, on Steam, explaining why it finds some of the District Attorney’s demands unacceptable.
Now, Valve officially submitted a motion to dismiss the District Attorney’s lawsuit to the New York State Supreme Court on May 18, 2026.
This is what Valve says in the motion to dismiss the lawsuit: Valve argues in the dismissal that “skins” serve only to entertain players and hold no more than a subjective and aesthetic value for the respective user.
The skins of Counter-Strike can thus be compared to collectibles like baseball cards or toys in cereal boxes and are therefore not illegal gambling. People enjoy the surprise when opening such mystery boxes and being surprised by a rare content, Valve explains.
Furthermore, the motion to dismiss states:
And although opening a pack of baseball cards that contains a unique Aaron Judge rookie card involves an element of chance, no legislator and no court has ever classified this process as illegal gambling.
Valve states that skins are merely cosmetic items, have no impact on gameplay, and are part of an established collector’s market. Therefore, Valve believes that the lawsuit should be dismissed by the Supreme Court.
The impact of skins and the opening of loot boxes in Counter-Strike 2 is illustrated by these articles:
Are collectible cards really such a good comparison? Collectible cards are themselves often under discussion. In recent years, the question has arisen whether, for example, Pokémon cards are gambling – intensified by massive package openings such as at the MontanaBlack opening event, where critics describe an almost casino-like atmosphere.
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