Valve’s latest update to the Tournament Operating Requirements has sent shockwaves through the Counter-Strike ecosystem, as the company officially prohibited teams and organizers from featuring skins gambling, case-opening, and skin-trading sites on jerseys or in any form of event promotion. The rule amendment extends restrictions that were previously applied only to Ranked events and now covers all tournaments that operate under Valve’s Limited Game Tournament License. Information about the update was first shared by Dust2us.

The updated guidelines explicitly forbid displaying any content that violates Valve IP or the Steam Subscriber Agreement — effectively removing one of the most widespread sponsor categories in modern CS2. The change could reshape financial structures for many teams, as skins-related sponsors have long been among the most visible brands in esports apparel.

Several organizations had begun preparing in advance: during the StarLadder Budapest Major, some teams already removed case-opening logos, anticipating stricter oversight. Now, with the changes officially codified, the entire scene must adapt.

Early Community Reactions

The news spread rapidly across social media, with players, analysts, and influencers offering immediate and contrasting takes.

Former CS2 coach and analyst Aleksandar "kassad" Trifunovic was among the first to react, criticizing the industry behind case-opening platforms:

The main reason for this case opening and skin gambling sites being completely banned from Events is simply because they got too greedy. They started rigging that soo much it literally became impossible to win anything.

kassad

When challenged about other controversial sponsors like 1xBet, kassad clarified:

1xbet isn't a skin gambling and case opening site; it's also licensed in many countries.

kassad

Professional player Owen "smooya" Butterfield expressed a dramatic take, posting:

CS is now DEAD

smooya

This decision could significantly alter the financial landscape of the CS2 ecosystem, as many esports organizations and tournament operators have long relied on partnerships with skins gambling and case-opening platforms as a stable source of revenue. With these sponsorship categories now completely removed from events, teams may face immediate budget adjustments, while organizers could lose a major segment of their commercial income. The industry will likely need to restructure its monetization strategies to adapt to Valve’s tighter regulations.