New York.
New York is suing Valve. In a complaint filed today (February 25) in the Supreme Court of the State of New York (don’t be too impressed, in New York State the Supreme Court is actually the lowest level court).
The complaint is centered around Valve’s use of loot boxes in games like Counter Strike and Dota 2, claiming that Valve purposely make the loot boxes resemble a casino game (they do) and that the items violate New York State’s constitutional law against illegal gambling.
Counter Strike’s gambling market has been notoriously massive over the last decade with the office of the Attorney General noting that in 2025 it surpassed $4.3 billion. While the skins don’t affect gameplay, they can be sold for thousands of dollars depending on the rarity.
Attorney General Letitia James is at the head of the lawsuit.
“Illegal gambling can be harmful and lead to serious addiction problems, especially for our young people,” said Attorney General James. “Valve has made billions of dollars by letting children and adults alike illegally gamble for the chance to win valuable virtual prizes. These features are addictive, harmful, and illegal, and my office is suing to stop Valve’s illegal conduct and protect New Yorkers.”
The lawsuit aims to stop Valve from operating its loot boxes (in New York) and would require them to account for all losses by New York consumers.
MMO Fallout 