Some companies never learn. It was only a couple of months ago that companies like EA Games, Rockstar and others fronted a UK inquiry into loot box mechanics and how it relates to gambling. Of course EA played some amazing political and legal spin by calling Loot Box mechanics “Surprise Mechanics” so they can get around gambling laws, something the UK inquiry agreed with and stated that under current laws Loot Boxes are not gambling… This lead to a lot of other countries (Including my own) to drop their investigations into these predatory practices by gaming companies to remove every last dollar out of your wallets.
Hell, some companies are now getting right into the gambling business inside their own games. The biggest and most obvious example is Grand Theft Auto Online, which features an actual casino in the game now, which you can use real money to buy in-game currency to gamble away at those virtual tables. Though, to Rockstar’s credit, they have blocked some countries from getting the DLC mode due to responsible virtual gambling laws that are in place. Not to be outdone, it seems that other companies are jumping right into the now “legal” gambling marketplace. 2K Games has released their newest trailer for the upcoming NBA 2K20 game… and it features ACTUAL GAMBLING MACHINES!! Take a look:
Now doesn’t that look awesome! You can join Lebron James (I think… I stopped caring about NBA after the Golden Age, aka the 1990s era) and that random Youtube guy in willing all these great players who will rain from the sky as you play SLOT MACHINES AND PACHINCO MACHINES to win card packs! Or you could dump your money into buying boxes of card packs too like you’ve already been doing since most people do that with EA’s Madden, FIFA and NBA Ultimate Team mode. But this is the first time that a company has just been up front in wanting people who have already dropped their $60+ on a Basketball game to go into a virtual casino and gamble away to win things that should just be unlockable in the first place.
It seems very obvious now that 2K Games is heading down the same dark path that EA seems to skip down every day when making games. They want your money, though will begrudgingly modify the content when demanded by law like they have done in Belgium since 2017. However if your country allows it, then prepare yourself to see more gambling into 2K Sports titles. At this point it seems that the gaming industry is straight up mocking Governments that will allow them to nickle and dime consumers as much as possible, and it’s disgusting.
While I’m not bothering to play NBA 2K20, if you want to play their Basketball themed casino simulator, then the game comes out on September 6th for Playstation 4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch and iOS.
