Jackpot: The Capitalist World and Casual Gambling

When you think of gambling, what comes to mind? The opulence of casinos, casual gambling sessions with friends, lottery tickets, some might even say investing counts as gambling. But gambling exists in many forms beyond these traditional forms. Today, gambling is made so accessible to anyone of all ages. Kids begging their parents to purchase blind boxes in hopes of getting their favourite cartoon characters, teenagers buying in-game loot boxes; these are all ways the capitalist world introduces gambling to the innocent mind. Unconsciously, many people fall into some form of gambling addiction, and some may let this addiction fester into something much more sinister than just the overindulgence of Popmarts and gacha games. 

Gambling has been around for thousands of years, with earliest forms of it like dice games, betting on chariot racing and lotteries from ancient civilizations in Egypt, China and Rome. As societies evolved, so did gambling. With the emergence and popularisation of casinos and online betting sites, the human attraction to risk and reward is highlighted, especially with the pervasion of gambling.

In 1993, a new kind of card game emerged in the market, forever changing the world of collectible card games. Magic: The Gathering (MTG), the first ever card game where players could not purchase all the cards at once. Players would start off with a starter pack and be encouraged to purchase “booster packs” to expand their collection. Following its’ release, all of the initial print run of 2.6 million cards was sold out, immediately creating more demand. [1] The market for TCGs boomed and game makers who wanted to tap into this lucrative market started creating their own versions of TCGs similar to MTG. The value of individual cards would vary based on the popularity of the game and rarity and strength of the card, and players would spend on either purchasing bulks of booster packs to pull a card they desire, or directly buying it off another person. Today, MTG continues to be played and collected by millions of people across the world and the most expensive sale of a MTG card occurred at a whopping US$3 million at a private auction in April 2024. [2] The boom of TCGs in the 1990s would lead to game makers in the 2000s trying to recreate a similar fad in the world of online gaming seeing the marketability of chance in games and this would first materialise in Maplestory, a massively multiplayer online roleplaying game (MMORPG) where players traverse an open 2D world known as the ‘Maple World’, defeating monsters and constantly strive to get better gear.

With the evolution of technology and the rise in popularity of online games, game developers looked for ways to increase revenue off their games and in 2004, Maplestory introduced to the world the very first instance of an online ‘gachapon’ system – loot boxes. At the low price of 100¥ a ticket, players would purchase these gachapon tickets and obtain randomised rewards similar to the real-life design of gachapon machines. The prize pool would contain rare items with an extremely low probability of obtaining them, and players would end up spending more money to purchase the gachapon tickets in order to stand a higher chance of getting the desired rare items. Seeing the success Maplestory had created, game developers across the world would start including a similar loot box system into their games. Electronic Arts (EA) introduced loot box-like mechanics into FIFA 09, the first in the Western world. Players would purchase player card packs to assemble their team of football players. Similar to Maplestory, better player cards were much rarer and players would typically spend more money with hopes to obtain their desired player card. This completely revolutionised the world of games and today, most games have some form of loot box-like mechanic in their design. [3]

At this point, corporations such as 2K Games, EA and Tencent coming out with these forms of casual gambling have largely been catering to the male population – mainly in the form of video gamesp. This would all change in 2010, when a Chinese toy company, Popmart, came into business, selling designer toys in the form of blind boxes. Just like TCGs and loot boxes, blind boxes were also marketed on the luck factor. However, the difference in its business model lies in the target audience. Cute collectible toys and figurines that had no other purpose except for decorative, Popmart targets young female adults who are more susceptible to ‘cute’ things. The idea of Popmarts was simple: consumers would purchase a themed blind box with the chance of obtaining one out of the several different variants listed on the back of the box. People would typically have a desired variant and might end up purchasing more than one box in order to obtain their desired variant. Popmart saw some homegrown success during its initial release, but blew up globally in 2016 and continues to grow exponentially. Today, Popmart is available in over 50 countries worldwide. [4]

The success that TCGs, loot boxes and blind boxes see highlights people’s obsession to the idea of luck and obtaining something by chance. Seemingly innocent, these are various forms of casual gambling that corporations introduce to young innocent minds. Just like the psychology behind gambling and why it is so addictive, these forms of casual gambling are centred around the opportunity of obtaining something of value at a small expense. Research has shown that when people gamble, the brain releases dopamine, which is known as the happy hormone which could explain why they do it so much. A popular internet saying “99% of gamblers quit before they win big,” further exemplifies the rush gamblers get while gambling, regardless of winning or losing. [5] 

Aside from these forms of casual gambling that exist in our everyday lives, the media also portrays gambling in a positive light, often depicting it as easy, fun, glamorous, exciting and life-changing. Typically associated with luxurious lifestyles, popular movies showcasing gambling such as Ocean’s Eleven, 21 and God of Gamblers have contributed to the rise in problem gambling over the years. These movies do not have an age rating and teenagers who watch them growing up develop a misconception of gambling. Alongside casual gambling that exists around them physically, this distorted view on gambling can eventually devolve into a sinister gambling addiction as they grow older. In Asian cultures especially, gambling is seen as a norm; with casual gambling sessions with friends and family typical during the Lunar New Year. 

I have personally fallen prey to these capitalistic tricks – especially the adorable Popmarts and the occasional lottery tickets, with hopes of becoming a millionaire overnight from a $1 bet. As a Chinese person in Singapore, gambling exists everywhere around me. The annual Lunar New Year festivities introduced me to the world of gambling from a young age, with friends and family partaking in casual gambling sessions playing card games such as Blackjack. Nowadays, I buy boxes of Popmarts, revelling in the temporary joy that it brings me, and then regretting the money spent on them later. While it is fun to occasionally dabble in these games of luck, it is very important to retain a level of self control, as I have personally witnessed people fall into serious addiction, some even taking on debts. 

The rise of casual gambling in society is a subtle yet pervasive force, deeply embedded into various forms of entertainment and consumerism. From TCGs to online loot boxes and blind boxes, corporations exploit the human attraction to luck and reward, finding clever ways to introduce gambling to younger audiences and subtly encouraging them to start gambling at a young age. As the media glamorizes gambling, it is crucial to remain wary of how these practices could shape our perceptions of risk and reward, and ensure that it does not turn into addiction. It is essential for society to recognize and address the growing normalization of gambling in everyday life.

1. Spell Casters, A ‘Magic: The Gathering’ origin story. (2022, November 7). Seattle Met. https://www.seattlemet.com/arts-and-culture/2017/12/spell-casters-a-magic-the-gathering-origin-story

2. Unveiling the rarest and most expensive magic cards | CGC. (n.d.). CGC Cards. https://www.cgccards.com/news/article/11926/rarest-most-expensive-magic-cards/

3. Wikipedia contributors. (2025, January 24). Loot box. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loot_box#History

4. Guinaudeau, P. (2023, October 27). Inside Pop Mart: How blind box toys are becoming a global phenomenon. Market Research | BrandTrends Group. https://brandtrends.ai/inside-pop-mart-how-blind-box-toys-are-becoming-a-global-phenomenon/#:~:text=However%2C%20it%20wasn’t%20until,buyer%20until%20they%20open%20it.

5. The science behind gambling. (n.d.). https://www.responsiblegambling.org/for-the-public/about-gambling/the-science-behind-gambling/