Valve Corporation, the leading video game company behind Steam and popular titles such as Half-Life and Counter-Strike, has revised its sponsorship policies to prohibit professional CS2 players from displaying logos of skins betting or casino-related sites on their jerseys.
Valve Announces New Changes to Tournament Requirements
Announced on December 9, 2025, the policy update applies to all levels of competition, from major events like the StarLadder Budapest Major 2025 to smaller local tournaments. The ban is codified in the Counter-Strike 2 Tournament Operating Requirements (TOR) and reflected in updates to the Limited Game Tournament License, limiting how companies can utilize Valve’s intellectual property.
The rule is comprehensive, prohibiting the display of logos or advertisements for these sites anywhere in a tournament broadcast. Jerseys, sponsor graphics, stage signage, or any other on-screen content visible to viewers are now forbidden to show ads related to skin betting or casino-related sites.
Additionally, tournament organizers are no longer allowed to accept sponsorships from companies offering services related to Valve game inventories, such as skin-trading platforms or key resellers. Some of the now-banned sponsors include Skin.Club, SkinRave, Hellcase, and key resellers like Kinguin.
However, it should be noted that traditional cash-based gambling companies, such as casinos and sportsbooks, remain eligible as sponsors. Valve explains that this is because they involve real money and do not use Steam items or violate Valve’s agreements.
As a result of the update, CS2 tournament organizers must now prevent teams from featuring skin betting or case-opening website logos on player jerseys in both Ranked and Unranked events. However, it should be noted that this change does not impact sponsorships or platforms unrelated to skin-based gambling.
Valve has often been criticized for its relationship with skin gambling sites. Some critics have said that CS2 skin gambling exposes adolescents to gambling addiction, and sponsorships such as these often negatively contribute to that.
What Could This Mean for the Broader CS2 Skin Gambling Scene?
The full effects of Valve’s updates to its tournament licensing are still unfolding, as organizations and event operators adapt to comply with the new rules. However, these changes could significantly impact the Counter-Strike 2 ecosystem. Many teams participating in high-profile events have sponsorships from skin gambling and case-opening sites and have previously displayed those logos on their jerseys.
The policy change has already made a noticeable impact as leading teams such as Team Vitality, MOUZ, and The MongolZ have dropped their skin-related sponsors ahead of the upcoming Budapest Major. However, smaller teams are likely to be affected even more, as many depended heavily on these sponsorships. Losing that revenue could create serious financial challenges. Smaller tournaments could also be impacted, given their reliance on the same advertisers.