Esports player faces real jail time due to income from selling virtual items in Counter-Strike 2 - tax authorities have questions

The esports player was sure that the taxes had already been paid.

29-year-old player Aleksi Antti Kaarlo Virolainen, better known in the Counter-Strike 2 esports scene by the nickname «Aleksib», recently attracted the attention of the gaming community not for his skills, but for his legal troubles. After a deal to sell virtual assets, he now faces real jail time.

Recently, Finnish Counter-Strike 2 star «Aleksib» appeared in court. The prosecutor demanded a four-month suspended sentence for «aggravated tax fraud». According to the prosecution, in 2019, Aleksib failed to declare 53,227.90 euros in income, resulting in his income tax being 28,196.40 euros lower than it should have been.

Media reports indicate that Aleksib denied his guilt in court. The player explained that this amount was money earned from virtual stickers in Counter-Strike 2. Valve releases these stickers for major tournaments, and teams and players receive a share of their sales.

Aleksib thought that taxes on some of the funds transferred to him in 2019 for the stickers had already been paid, so he did not include the income in his declaration.

The player had previously paid the outstanding taxes and thought the matter was settled. However, in the spring of 2025, during his trip to a tournament, he was contacted and unexpectedly informed that the case would be brought to court.

The court has not yet rendered a verdict in the case, and Aleksib declined to comment on the situation. The player's lawyer intends to seek reimbursement of legal costs if the charges are dropped. If the court finds Aleksib guilty, he will have to comply with the terms of a probationary period.