Loot Boxes : Is it Considered Gambling?

May 20, 2023 at 12:49 AM in Gaming News with no comments

Loot boxes are a part of the gaming industry for a long time now. There are some who consider this gambling while others enjoy the thrill of it.

Get to know what loot boxes are all about in this article!

 

By Kilian Kilian  |  Veena

Loot Boxes : Is it Considered Gambling?  

Key Facts

  • Loot boxes are bought and it gives random in-game items.
  • If you wanted a specific item, then purchasing loot boxes could be a waste of money.
  • There are countries that do not allow loot boxes.
 

WHAT ARE LOOT BOXES?

 

Loot Boxes are virtual treasure chests that players purchase. It comes with random items that include cosmetic items or emotes. An example of this is just like in the game Overwatch.

  Loot Boxes  

There are, however, some games where purchasing loot boxes influences its course. When purchasing loot boxes, you can sometimes use in-game currency or real money.

 

HOW DO LOOT BOXES WORK?

 

The majority of loot boxes come with random items or skins. This uses an algorithm to do so. Getting a rare item would be less likely than getting a common item.

To better understand, think of it as each item being assigned a number. The more common items are those from 1 to 90 and the rare items are 91 to 100. A random number would then be generated when you purchase a loot box and the corresponding item to that number is what you will get.

 

ARE LOOT BOXES CONSIDERED GAMBLING?

 

Loot boxes are quite controversial and opinions about it are quite divided. Some say that these are considered gambling since you use real money to purchase items that are not specified.

Some say that it is not considered gambling since you will still receive something even though sometimes you don’t get your money’s worth.

An example of this is the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Some rare crates can cost around $1000 but could come with $1 worth of skin.

If you think about it, the losses are quite significant even though you receive something in return.

  Loot Boxes
 

THE IMPACT OF LOOT BOXES TO PLAYERS

 

There are both positive and negative effects of loot boxes to players. On the positive side, when players receive loot boxes through gameplay, it boosts their motivation.

The negative impact on the other hand is continually purchasing loot boxes to get a rare item. This could lead to financial problems when it gets out of hand.

Since loot boxes do resemble gambling, it could lead to addiction. The addiction could be for the game itself or sometimes external websites that offer fictional crates that you can obtain for high amounts of money. It could contain a rare item or not.

 

ARE LOOT BOXES LEGAL?

 

Some countries consider loot boxes as gambling, therefore, illegal. Other countries may not have specific laws about it and are okay with it.

 

CONCLUSION

 

Considering loot boxes as gambling is yet to be determined, there are, however, some limitations to be considered. Some players may enjoy loot boxes but must consider if they have the money for it. It is most likely that you lose money in the process.

 

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