Gambling is not a foreign concept to kids these days. Via in-game purchasable loot boxes that dispense items, corporations are exposing the youth to chance-based systems for monetary payouts. Recently, a gaming corporation, Valve, has come under heavy fire from the state of New York after being accused of promoting illegal gambling to minors. Games like Team Fortress 2, Dota 2, and Counter Strike have had purchasable loot boxes that anyone could buy for decades.

The effect? If the lawsuit against Valve wins, then game companies will have to reevaluate the way loot boxes are handled in games. But the underlying fact is that there are so many more forms of entertainment heavily advertised towards kids.

Sports video games are one of the more egregious perpetrators of gambling imitators that aren’t technically gambling by the law, but are harmful nonetheless. Every Electronic Arts sports game has a mode called Ultimate Team. This facet of the game is easily the most sought after to play within communities. It allows for the buying and selling of different virtual players in order to have a better team. Whether it is Madden, NBA 2K, or EAFC, they all offer the same thing: buying packs to try and obtain players with no certainty. It is very similar to online gambling.

Casinos and online gambling websites are certainly an issue, and we take no issue in barring them from those under the age of 18 and 21. However, no clear line has been designated for companies such as Valve, Electronic Arts, and many more that sell in-game gambling boxes that either give the player an edge in the game or cosmetic items.

The issue with these corporations is that they introduce the youth to gambling at such a young age, and since research points towards any form of addiction starting at a young age (e.g. substance use disorder), early exposure will create more gamblers in the future, and more potentially life-ruining habits.

Gambling addiction can hardly be seen as a victimless crime, especially as it has ruined many lives – the lives of the addicts, but also the lives of their family and friends as well – throughout the U.S. alone. Long term marriages have been torn apart from gambling addiction, friends have seen their friends lose money and look for whatever small amount of money they could find, and innumerable lives have been lost to the rising debt that comes with losing.

Corporations should take accountability and responsibility for the fallout they have caused, removing gambling proponents from games targeted towards children, and return to their original focus: entertainment.

If you or a loved one is going through gambling addiction, please reach out to someone or call 1-800-GAMBLER (426-2537).