"Illegal gambling can be harmful and lead to serious addiction problems, especially for our young people. Valve has made billions of dollars by letting children and adults alike illegally gamble for the chance to win valuable virtual prizes. These features are addictive, harmful, and illegal, and my office is suing to stop Valve's illegal conduct and protect New Yorkers."
"Valve intentionally makes some items far harder to win than others, making the rare items more valuable. The state directly compared Valve's loot boxes to slot machines, arguing the randomized reward system constitutes illegal gambling under New York law."
New York's attorney general filed a lawsuit against Valve on February 25, accusing the gaming company of enabling illegal gambling through loot boxes in popular multiplayer games. The state claims Valve's system of charging players to open virtual loot boxes containing randomized rewards operates similarly to slot machines and violates New York gambling laws. Attorney General Letitia James argues the loot box mechanics are addictive and particularly harmful to children, stating Valve has profited billions from this practice. The lawsuit alleges Valve intentionally manipulates item rarity to increase value and desirability. New York seeks to permanently prohibit Valve from promoting gambling features in its games and impose financial penalties for legal violations.
Read at Kotaku
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]