BETWEEN LUCK AND REGULATION: AN ANALYSIS OF LOOT BOXES IN THE BRAZILIAN LEGAL CONTEXT

UMA ANÁLISE DAS CAIXAS VIRTUAIS NO CONTEXTO LEGAL BRASILEIRO

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.12662/2447-6641oj.v22i39.p58-86.2024

Keywords:

video games, loot boxes, games of chance, gambling, law

Abstract

Background: Loot boxes are packages of virtual items, usually represented in the shape of a box, present in electronic games. By opening a loot box, the player has a random chance to obtain items of different types of in-game rarity. This monetization strategy has proven lucrative for video game developers in recent years, which is why it is quite common to find loot boxes in a significant portion of modern games. Due to recent controversies, however, it has been questioned whether loot boxes are a form of gambling due to the existence of several common elements among their systems.

Objective: To analyze the legal framework of loot boxes in the Brazilian legal system, its relationship with games of chance, and discuss possible regulation.

Method: We resorted essentially to bibliographic research in the form of analysis of books, academic articles, jurists' opinions, comments on legislation, and news, in the national and international spheres.

Results: It was observed that loot boxes have similarities with games of chance and, despite the inexistence of express provision, may be governed by diplomas already in force, such as the Consumer Defense Code and the Child and Adolescent Statute, while a specific regulation remains pending.

Conclusions: The fact that loot boxes are not included in the legal definition of gambling in the Brazilian legal system does not mean that issues involving the implementation of the mechanics in a way that is exploitative to players cannot be judged under laws such as the CDC and the ECA. Legislative innovation is recommended to address the issue specifically through a new definition of "gambling" that contemplates more modern forms of gambling, such as the mechanics present in digital media.

Author Biography

Glauco Barreira Magalhães Filho, Universidade Federal do Ceará

Mestre Direito (UFC), Doutor em Sociologia (UFC), Livre Docente em Filosofia do Direito (UVA), Professor da Faculdade de Direito da UFC de Hermenêutica Jurídica e Aplicação do Direito (Graduação) e Estudos do Imaginário Jurídico (Pós-graduação). Lecionou Introdução à Ciência do Direito e Direito Civil (Unifor), Teoria Geral do Direito (UFC), Lógica e Argumentação (FGF), várias disciplinas de Direito Constitucional em cursos de pós-graduação. Foi coordenador dos cursos de Direito da FGF e Fametro. Publicou dezenas de livros com temas de Filosofia e Teoria do Direito, Ciência Política, Sociologia Jurídica, Hermenêutica e Direito Constitucional. É professor do Programa de pós-graduação em Direito da UFC e líder do Grupo de Estudos em Filosofia do Direito-Díkaion (UFC/CNPQ).

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Published

2024-02-22

How to Cite

SANTOS, Francisco Matheus Damasceno dos; MAGALHÃES FILHO, Glauco Barreira. BETWEEN LUCK AND REGULATION: AN ANALYSIS OF LOOT BOXES IN THE BRAZILIAN LEGAL CONTEXT: UMA ANÁLISE DAS CAIXAS VIRTUAIS NO CONTEXTO LEGAL BRASILEIRO. Revista Opinião Jurídica (Fortaleza), Fortaleza, v. 22, n. 39, p. 58–86, 2024. DOI: 10.12662/2447-6641oj.v22i39.p58-86.2024. Disponível em: https://periodicos.unichristus.edu.br/opiniaojuridica/article/view/4657. Acesso em: 8 jun. 2026.

Issue

Vol. 22 No. 39 (2024)

Section

Artigos Originais

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