Re:Belgium declares loot boxes gambling and therefore illegal
by FireTight on Thursday April 26, 2018 @09:15AM
(#16931546)
Including something of "value" with a purchase doesn't automatically make something gambling.
Under the Kinder/Happy Meal is gambling logic, buying a bag of M&Ms could also be gambling because I "value" the blue ones the most and will receive a psudorandom number of blue M&Ms in the bag.
There is also a big difference in intent. Spend $5 on a Happy Meal and you are spending $4.90 for a meal and $0.10 for a piece of junk toy. And half the time you can ask for a specific toy anyway. On the other hand, spend $5 on loot boxes (or scratch tickets, lottery tickets) and there is no expectation of any other "value" than the potential value of your winnings.
Help me understand, because I don't, with some cursory Googling. Specifically, where does the line start and end here, and where on a scale are we with:
* Kinder Eggs / Happy Meal Toys
* MtG / Pokemon Card boxes
* Loot Boxes
Are all gambling? Are all "fully fledged gambling lunacy"? Genuine question asked in good faith.