‘Brawl Stars’ Loot Boxes Are Not Illegal Gambling, Guidelines Judge
Posted on: January six, 2022, 04:30h. 
Last updated on: January 6, 2022, 05:23h.
A federal judge in San Francisco on Tuesday denied a class-action lawsuit against tech giant Apple, which claimed loot boxes in the video game Brawl Stars amounted to gambling.
The lawsuit was filed last year by California mom Rebecca Taylor, whose son downloaded the mobile battle-arena shooter game from the App Retailer. Taylor stated her son subsequently bought $25 in virtual, in-game currency, which he then splurged on loot boxes.
A loot box is a virtual item which can be redeemed to receive a randomised choice of virtual things, i.e. “loot.” They can range from customization possibilities to game-changing equipment, such as weapons and armor.
But US District Court Judge Richard Seeborg in the Northern District of California ruled that loot boxes have been legal in California, and it was down to lawmakers, not the courts, to prohibit them, if acceptable.
“Existing statutory law does not plainly prohibit ‘loot boxes,’” he wrote. “If plaintiffs’ allegations regarding the damaging affects [sic] of loot boxes are precise, the public interest probably lies in seeking legislative treatments.”
Loot Boxes Random
Since they employ possibility-primarily based mechanics and players can occasionally spend to unlock them, loot boxes draw comparisons to gambling. But usually, loot boxes do not fall into most legal definitions of gambling, due to the fact the “prize” – the virtual products inside — cannot be mentioned to be “something of value.”
But in 2018, a federal judge in Washington State broke that mold. The ruling was that the virtual currency in Large Fish social casino games was indeed “something of worth,” which made it illegal gambling under that state’s laws.
The choice resulted in a $155 million settlement from Massive Fish to former players.
‘No Economic Damage’
Taylor claimed the loot boxes in Brawl Stars were akin to slot machines.
“Buying a loot box is a gamble, since the player does not know what the loot box truly includes till it is opened,” the complaint argued.
Meanwhile, Apple benefitted from a “predatory monetization scheme that violates established public policies and constitutes immoral, unethical, or unscrupulous conduct.” Taylor alleged this violated California laws against unfair enterprise practices.
Apple’s lawyers argued that since the game makes use of virtual currency, and the virtual products acquired in the game cannot be used or sold in the genuine planet, it wasn’t clear how the plaintiff had suffered financial injury.
The judge agreed, and that might bode nicely for the tech giants. There have been slew of lawsuits against Apple, Facebook, and Google alleging social casinos on these platforms constitute illegal gambling. The lawsuits had been recently consolidated into one particular master complaint, and will be heard by the identical Northern California federal court.
