New York Attorney General Letitia James has sued Valve for “illegally promoting gambling” through the loot box system it created for video games. counter attack 2, team Fortress 2And Dota 2According to a press release. The Attorney General seeks to “permanently bar Valve from promoting gambling features in its games, disgorge all ill-gotten profits, and pay a fine for violating New York laws.”
“This loot box model that Valve has developed – charging an individual for the chance to win something of value based on luck alone – is quintessential gambling, prohibited under the New York Constitution and penal law,” the lawsuit says. Valve has earned “millions of dollars” by selling loot box keys to “thousands” of New York residents and “earned millions of dollars in commissions from New Yorkers who sold virtual items obtained from loot boxes.” According to the complaint, the company’s loot boxes are also “particularly harmful” because they are popular among children and teens.
Users can purchase keys to open loot boxes in some Valve games and receive randomly selected virtual items as rewards. If they wish, users can sell those rewards on the Steam Community Market and third-party marketplaces; The lawsuit says the rare items could be worth “thousands of dollars.” However, these systems require that users pay Valve $2.49 plus tax to open loot boxes, and users often receive items that are “less than the value the user spent on the key”. The lawsuit also details Valve’s experience with opening loot boxes. counter attack 2 It looks like a slot machine.
Valve did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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