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New York sues Valve for 'letting children and adults illegally gamble' with loot boxes
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this post was submitted on 26 Feb 2026
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I quit playing games with loot boxes. Having said that my experience and valve with loot boxes were they were cosmetic only. I may be wrong about that.
They are only cosmetic, but absolutely still gambling. That said, the design and use of the market and operations did mean it was far easier to avoid and far cheaper. For example, you could get basically a full loadout of skins, without ever opening a lootbox, for far less. Doesn't change the fact that the lootboxes in CS (and everything else) need to be regulated though.
Them being cosmetics doesn't change anything. People want cosmetics, they made a gambling system to get them, easy-as.
Cosmetic or not, they are still mechanically the same as a slot machine.
It may be problematic but I see it as less problematic than non-cosmetic items like Magic card packs
Not mechanically the same at all. The reason they can skirt by and have not been considered 'gambling' is largely due to the fact that you always win something, even if the player to player market dictates that item as worthless.
A slot machine literally just takes your money and you are left with nothing but having pushed a button for the pretty lights and fun noises.
What do you think video game cosmetics are if not pretty lights and fun noises?
I mean, fair, but it's a digital item that you get to keep.
Not same lol, trust me, not even close...
Maybe not to you, but you don't speak for all of humanity.
It's content you unlock by gambling with real money. Doesn't matter what the content is.