Valve cracks down on pro Counter-Strike teams with skin gambling sponsors

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As a big Counter-Strike fan, I’m seeing that Valve is really taking steps to distance the game from anything related to case openings, skin trading, and especially skin gambling. It’s a big change because pro CS2 teams won’t be allowed to have those kinds of services as sponsors anymore. It feels like Valve is trying to clean things up and protect the game’s image, which I think is a good thing.

Counter-Strike is famous for its traditional round-based matches, but it’s also well-known for the value of items players can collect in the game. Certain weapon designs, called skins, have become incredibly valuable, selling for tens of thousands of dollars – and in one case, even over a million.

Lately, many websites for betting and trading in-game items for Counter-Strike 2 have become popular. However, both Valve, the game’s creator, and YouTube have been working to reduce this activity, with YouTube specifically trying to stop promotion of CS2 skin gambling on its site.

Valve has recently updated its rules, leading to more restrictions for CS2 esports teams. Specifically, teams will now face limitations on how they can promote certain sponsors.

CS2 esports teams barred from promoting skin gambling sponsors

Valve updated its rules for running tournaments on December 9, 2025, as first noted by Dust2.us.

New rules now include stricter limits on what can be advertised. Specifically, websites that offer loot boxes, skin trading, or gambling can’t be promoted at all – even on esports team uniforms.

As a fan, I understand that tournament organizers can’t let teams or anyone involved show off anything during broadcasts – like on jerseys or in videos – that breaks Valve’s rules about their games or the Steam agreement. Basically, they need to make sure everything respects Valve’s intellectual property and the terms people agree to when using Steam.

Because these services and platforms are so popular now, many professional Counter-Strike 2 teams receive sponsorship from them. This new rule actually affects three of the five highest-ranked teams globally.

Vitality’s jerseys display the Skin.Club logo, MOUZ features G4Skins, and The MongolZ is sponsored by CSGOSKINS. These sponsorships are all visible on the teams’ uniforms.

HLTV also noted that some teams were informed about the rule change in advance and have already switched to jerseys without sponsor logos before the Starladder Budapest Major 2025.

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2025-12-11 02:48