Valve bans skins gambling and case opening sites from jerseys at all CS2 events

Hannah Marie ZT, Senior Editor

Last Updated: 11/12/2025

In a move that could fundamentally change the Counter-Strike ecosystem, Valve has introduced a ban on teams promoting skin-betting and case-opening websites on player jerseys. 

The ban was introduced in an update to the Counter-Strike 2 Tournament Operating Requirements. It will affect both ranked and unranked events. 

New regulations from Valve strengthen gambling bans in CS2

Changes to the Tournament Operating Requirements mean that both unranked and ranked events must not feature any logos, promotions, activations, or advertisements for companies and sites that offer skin trading, case opening, or skin gambling services.

Companies that use the Valve IP are also further restricted from operating in the CS2 esports ecosystem. 

Therefore, tournament organisers can no longer accept sponsorships from companies that “generate revenue through activities that violate applicable Valve agreements or violate local law or rely on Valve’s game economics.”

According to the also amended Limited Game Tournament License, tournament organisers are also required to “not distribute or display, including on team jerseys or in any other content that may be visible during the broadcast, any content or material that either violates Valve IP or the terms of the Steam Subscriber Agreement.”

By proxy, this also means esports organisations can no longer accept jersey sponsorships from skin-trading, case-opening, and Counter-Strike gambling companies without additional consequences. 

If they do, offending teams may risk repercussions from tournament organisers.

What is the potential impact of this ban on the competitive ecosystem and CS market?

Counter-Strike’s complicated relationship with gambling and its cosmetics market continues to manifest in the competitive esports scene. 

In October 2025, Valve made sweeping changes to the skins market. As a result, the Counter-Strike skins economy was forced to brace for a market flood, with plummeting skin valuations and billions of Dollars wiped from the market cap. 

Following this, Valve’s crackdown on skin- and cosmetic-related companies further tightens control over the Counter-Strike market system. 

Apparently, some teams competing in the ongoing StarLadder Budapest Major had advance notice of the change. NRG’s SkinRave sponsor disappeared from the jersey pre-event. Aurora also removed CSFAIL’s logo from their jersey. 

However, teams across the competitive rankings will now need to make rapid changes. 

Some existing sponsorships may now be forced to alter contractual agreements. Alternatively, some companies may end their agreements with teams, cutting a source of funding. 

Given the entrenched nature of skin and cosmetics gambling in Counter-Strike, it will likely take more severe sanctioning for third-party sites to disappear entirely. 

Nevertheless, Valve clearly wants to clear up Counter-Strike’s image. 

Whether these measures do so without causing damage to the established ecosystem is yet to be determined. 

Hannah Marie ZT, Senior Editor

Hannah is a journalist specialising in the esports, gaming, and technology sectors. Working for outlets such as Dot Esports, Esports Insider, and of course ENUK, she has developed a love for wider esports, Apex Legends, and advocating for women's esports initiatives. You may have seen her at various esports and gaming events, including ALGS LANs, ESI London, EGX, and watch parties.

All Posts By Hannah Marie ZT