https://www.engadget.com/2018/05/09/ea-loot-boxes-are-gambling-heres-more-loot-boxes/EA cares not what you mortals think of loot boxes:
Electronic Arts will "push forward" with loot boxes in its future video games, despite admitting that "all loot boxes are gambling." Yeesh. In an investor's call, CEO Andrew Wilson said that EA has worked with "all the industry associations" and with regulators across the globe to establish that programs like FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT) are not gambling.
How's that? According to him, it's because you're guaranteed a certain amount of items with each purchase. And because EA doesn't facilitate a way to sell the items for real-world money (like you would cash out chips at a casino) or assign a currency value to the FUT gear, it's acting within the law.
Which is fair. Before you pull the trigger on a FUT purchase, you know how many items are inside and their value. Same goes for gacha games like Fire Emblem Heroes -- you're aware of what the odds are before you drop any cash.
Wilson also said that EA actively works to shut down any sorts of illegal activity with regard to FUT sales.
With that in mind, EA will continue to offer whatever it's calling loot boxes for the foreseeable future. Wilson said that the company will "continue to push forward" with the items. "We're always thinking about our players," he said. "We're always thinking about how to deliver these types of experiences in a transparent, fun, fair and balanced way for our players. And we'll communicate with regulators around the world on it."
So EA is learning from Vegas?