Buying packs of trading cards like Pokémon or Magic: The Gathering may be more similar to gambling than many realize, according to a new international study. Researchers found that spending money on both video game “loot boxes” and physical card packs is linked to problem gambling behaviors.
The study was conducted by researchers from City University of Hong Kong, University of York, University of Lincoln, IT University of Copenhagen, and University of Bristol, and published in Psychology of Addictive Behaviors.
The study, which surveyed nearly 2,000 players across the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland, showed that:
- Loot box spending had the strongest link to gambling problems.
- Physical card packs and digital card packs also showed connections to problem gambling, though weaker.
- No type of purchase was associated with poor mental health, meaning players with worse well-being or more distress did not report spending more on these products.
“Our results show that both physical and digital gambling-like products resemble gambling and are linked to problem gambling,” said lead author Leon Y. Xiao of City University of Hong Kong. “There are two problems with current gambling laws.”
“First, the existing law is not strictly enforced against physical gambling-like products like card packs and blind boxes containing Labubus, which constitute unlicensed illegal gambling in most countries, because their content can be and often are sold in exchange for real money on the secondary market.”
“Second, loot boxes, the gambling-like product mostly strongly linked to problem gambling, remain largely unregulated in most countries. Legal definitions of gambling should be updated to reflect scientific evidence about potential harms.”
Card packs and loot boxes generate billions of dollars each year worldwide, making them a major part of modern gaming. The researchers urge policymakers to strictly enforce and update gambling regulations.
More information: Leon Y. Xiao et al, Physical card pack and especially video game loot box spending are both positively correlated with problem gambling but not linked to negative mental health: An international survey., Psychology of Addictive Behaviors (2025). DOI: 10.1037/adb0001082
Citation: Study finds both video game loot boxes and physical card packs are linked to problem gambling (2025, August 22) retrieved 22 August 2025 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08-video-game-loot-physical-card.html
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