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Are Loot Boxes in Games a Violation of Gambling Laws?

posted by cmn32480 on Monday January 08 2018, @03:34PM   
from the 1-in-365,214,231-chance-of-getting-the-good-stuff dept.

Bill Dimm writes:

Loot boxes in video games give the player a random item, perhaps a weapon or a skin, typically in exchange for payment. Should they be viewed as a legal sweepstakes or as an illegal lottery? This video examines the legal issues and explains how loot boxes could be structured to avoid running afoul of gambling laws (which vary by state) in the U.S.. The video concludes that many current implementations of loot boxes are really illegal lotteries, and conjectures that major game companies use them anyway because the risk of being prosecuted isn't enough to dissuade them.

Previously: Belgium Moving to Ban "Loot Boxes" Throughout Europe, Hawaii Could Restrict Sale to Minors

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Original Submission

• Re:Men aren't Angels; "non-corrupt government" nai Re:Men aren't Angels; "non-corrupt government" nai (Score: 2) by Wootery on Tuesday January 09 2018, @10:22AM (2 children)

  by Wootery (2341) on Tuesday January 09 2018, @10:22AM (#619943)

  (First off - I've upvoted you. I didn't think that 'Flamebait' mod was fair.)

  libertopia is the voluntary exchange amongst individuals, which comprises the very phenomena that actually make society productive, and on which every government attaches itself like a parasite

  That's... just a bunch of words. What's to prevent the most brutal warlord from ruling the roost? Private security and an armed populace? We're back to Somalia.

  It's the height of naivete to pretend that this one particular monopoly (a monopoly built fundamentally on violent imposition, no less) is going to be different

  No-one is saying government is, or needs to be, perfect. My position is that imperfect big government is generally better than too little government.

  There's a lot of variety in the world's governments regarding how much corruption seeps in. Some countries, like, if I understand correctly, Singapore and Japan, seem to be doing really rather well on that front.

  The only way forward is to accept that self-interest is a thing, and to build one's philosophy of society around it, rather than to ignore it naively.

  That's exactly what we're doing here in Europe - we want a capitalist society with enough tax to pay for big government, strong regulation, and a welfare state. There's still self-interest. It's not communism.

  each "branch" of this kind of Western representative democracy is itself a violently imposed monopoly

  Yes, government is imposed by force, and you don't get to 'opt out' except by leaving the country. This doesn't strike me as terribly profound, though. The alternative is so much worse, that the observation is little more than quaint.

  The right way is to take this separation of powers to its limit, and that means that society should be organized as much as possible through a free market on goods and services

  Sounds to me like a religious argument for extreme deregulation. No, deregulation doesn't always work out well. You want nuclear engineering and bridge engineering to be deregulated? Guns for anyone who wants one? No driving licences or pilot licences? Who pays for care for those with crippling life-long disabilities? What about externalities?

  you should delight in asking the question "How can we do this or that with as little coercion as possible?"

  Here I agree. I'm arguing for a 'golden mean', not for unlimited totalitarianism. There is indeed a tradeoff, and as you say we should always lament the diminution of our liberty when making laws. Nonetheless, strong laws are, in my view, worth it overall.

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• Your "government" idea solves none of the problems Your "government" idea solves none of the problems (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 09 2018, @10:58PM (1 child)

  by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 09 2018, @10:58PM (#620253)

  That's just it. Your idea of "government' does not solve any of the problems you worry about. Your house is built on sand.

  Parent

  • Re:Your "government" idea solves none of the probl (Score: 2) by Wootery on Wednesday January 10 2018, @12:36PM

    by Wootery (2341) on Wednesday January 10 2018, @12:36PM (#620443)

    Your idea of "government' does not solve any of the problems you worry about

    It does, actually. I rather like that the NHS exists, and that the state will pay to care for those who can't care for themselves. I rather like that my government regulates who gets to design skyscrapers or buy a gun.

    The free market is not, as you seem to think, a silver bullet. Market failure is real. Under-regulation is real.

    Parent