'People Enjoy Surprises' — Valve Is Trying to Dismiss New York's Counter-Strike Loot Box Lawsuit

Valve has moved to dismiss the New York Attorney General’s lawsuit against the company, which claims loot boxes in its games such as Counter-Strike 2 promote illegal gambling and threaten to addict children. Attorney General Letitia James has accused Valve of making "billions of dollars by letting children and adults illegally gamble for the chance to win valuable virtual prizes," calling loot boxes "addictive and harmful." As reported by Courthouse News, the company behind Steam said it would be a slippery slot to deem loot boxes illegal gambling, because doing so would mean the likes of baseball cards, Happy Meal toys, and even Labubu blind boxes would be considered gambling, too. Valve said: “Each of those transactions — and many more like them — involves a purchase of randomized items that can be resold for cash. No court has allowed the executive branch to criminalize overnight such ‘a breathtaking amount of commonplace’ conduct not specifically proscribed by a statute. This court should not be the first.” “People enjoy surprises,” Valve continued. “Part of the appeal of many popular collectibles, from baseball cards to cereal boxes, is the possibility of opening a sealed pack