Apple receives class action complaint over loot boxes
California-based parent Rebecca Taylor has filed a class action complaint against tech giant Apple, alleging that by providing games containing loot box mechanisms through its App Store, Apple is complicit in or guilty of promoting gambling products to children.
The complaint was filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of California, San Jose Division on Tuesday (15 June).
Central to Taylor's argument was the fact that Apple provided disclosures for loot boxes similar to those for recognised gambling products.
“Even Apple implicitly concedes the Loot Boxes in its App Store games are a form of gambling,” the complaint said. “Like the California state lottery, Apple requires its App Developers to disclose the “odds of winning” particular items in the Loot Boxes for the games it distributes.”