CSDB · CS2 Gambling
Taking a Break
There are no affiliate links on this page, no promo codes and no operators being recommended. If you came here to stop, being sold to would be the last thing you need.
The controls that exist, weakest to strongest
These work at different levels, and the difference matters: the first two rely on the operator honouring them, the last one does not rely on the operator at all.
- Deposit and loss limits.Set inside an operator's account settings where it offers them. Decide the number while you are calm — the whole value of a limit is that it is set by a version of you that is not currently chasing a loss. Not every CS2 site offers one, and we record which do on each review as we verify them.
- Cooling-off and self-exclusion at one operator. A temporary lock or a longer exclusion from a single site. Useful, but it only covers that site, and this niche has dozens more a click away.
- Blocking software on your own devices. The strongest of the three, because it works from your side and covers sites regardless of whether they are licensed, where they are registered, or whether they offer any tools of their own.
Blocking and exclusion tools
Free, confidential and independent
None of these is run by, funded through, or affiliated with any operator listed on this site, and CSDB earns nothing from these links.
- BeGambleAware (UK) — 0808 8020 133 — National Gambling Helpline, free and 24 hours
- GamCare (UK) — Free counselling, forums and a live chat service
- NCPG (US) — 1-800-GAMBLER — National Council on Problem Gambling helpline
- Gambling Therapy (International) — Free online support in multiple languages
Frequently asked
Does self-exclusion work on CS2 skin gambling sites?
Partly, and less well than on licensed casinos. GAMSTOP excludes you from every gambling site licensed in Great Britain at once, but most CS2 skin sites are not licensed in Great Britain, so GAMSTOP does not reach them. Blocking software installed on your own devices does reach them, because it works from your side rather than the operator’s. Where an individual operator offers self-exclusion in its account settings, use that too — it is worth having, it is just not comprehensive.
I have lost money. Can I get it back?
Realistically, no. Valve does not recognise third-party gambling and will not reverse a trade or recover items. Card chargebacks against gambling deposits frequently fail and can get the account closed with the balance inside. Anyone who contacts you offering to recover a balance for a fee or a login is running a second scam on top of the first. The useful next step is not a dispute — it is talking to one of the free services below.
How do I know if it has become a problem?
The pattern that matters is not the amount, it is the direction of travel: gambling longer than intended, depositing again to win back a loss, hiding it, or borrowing to fund it. If you are reading this page because you were looking for a reason to stop, that is already the answer. The services below are free, confidential and independent of every operator we cover.
If you would rather trade than gamble
Buying and selling skins on a marketplace is a different activity with a different risk profile — you end up holding an item rather than a wager, and the fees are published. Our trading-site comparison covers what each marketplace actually pays out, and the free case simulator uses the real published CS2 drop rates so you can see what a run of openings looks like without spending anything.