Valve hit with second lawsuit over 'unlawful gambling' loot boxes

Lawsuit alleges Valve's loot boxes are a form of 'unlawful gambling' In February, New York state's attorney general Letitia James sued Valve over the company's inclusion of loot boxes in its games, calling them "quintessential gambling." Now, Valve is facing a similar class-action lawsuit in Washington state. Law firm Hagens Berman filed the lawsuit on Monday, accusing Valve of "knowingly operating unlawful gambling through its loot box system," according to a news release. Hagens Berman founder and managing partner Steve Berman said, "Consumers played these games for entertainment, unaware that Valve had allegedly already stacked the odds against them. We intend to hold Valve accountable and put money back in the pockets of consumers." Hagens Berman names games like the Counter-Strike series (including Counter-Strike 2 and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive), Dota 2, and Team Fortress 2 as titles in which "Valve may have profited from illegal gambling." Loot boxes have become commonplace in a multitude of paid and free-to-play multiplayer and single-player games. Typically, they involve the player paying real-world money for a loot box that contains random items, like character or w

Mar 10, 2026 → Mar 23, 2026