Valve Argues Loot Boxes Are No Different From Baseball Cards in NY Lawsuit
The case tests whether randomized in-game purchases can be regulated as gambling under New York law, with Valve drawing a line between its own marketplace and external sites.
Reporting from 1 sources: Game Spark.
Valve filed a 42-page memorandum to dismiss a New York lawsuit alleging Counter-Strike 2 loot boxes are illegal gambling. The company argues cases are random products like baseball cards or cereal prizes, that skins are cosmetic with no gameplay effect, and that third-party cash-outs violate Steam's terms of service.
Valve has submitted a 42-page memorandum of law in New York state court, formally moving to dismiss the lawsuit filed by New York Attorney General Letitia James in February 2026. The suit alleges that "cases" in Counter-Strike 2 and other games constitute illegal gambling by wagering "things of value."
Valve counters that loot boxes are "random products" akin to baseball cards or cereal prizes, and that players always receive one skin per case, meaning there is no bet or risk. The company also argues that skins are cosmetic items that do not affect gameplay and therefore do not meet the legal definition of "things of value."
Regarding the real-world trading of skins, Valve notes that cashing out on third-party sites violates Steam's terms of service, and that holding the company responsible for that activity is unfair. The NYAG is seeking damages equal to three times Valve's profits from the system.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.