Google May See End to Play Store Loot Boxes Class Action Lawsuit

Top Class Actions’s website and social media posts use affiliate links. If you make a purchase using such links, we may receive a commission, but it will not result in any additional charges to you. Please review our Affiliate Link Disclosure for more information.

Google Loot Boxes Gambling Class Action Lawsuit Overview: 

• Who: A federal judge appears to be siding with Google over claims by parents that it illegally entices minors to gamble by hosting games that sell loot boxes. 
• Why: The judge says she believes Google’s involvement ends prior to consumers purchasing loot boxes with the virtual tokens the company sells. 
• Where: The class action lawsuit was filed in California federal court.

A federal judge in California appears to be siding with Google over allegations it illegally entices children and teenagers to gamble by offering games on its Play store that sell virtual treasure chests known as “loot boxes.” 

US District Judge Beth Labson Freeman said during a hearing this week that she didn’t see what involvement Google had beyond selling virtual tokens which can be used to purchase the so-called loot boxes, reports Law360.

“I think this might be the end of the road for this case,” Freeman said, reports Law360. 

Google Play Games Offer Loot Boxes That Encourage Illegal Gambling, Says Class Action

Parents argued in a class action lawsuit filed last June that purchasable in-game loot boxes—which contain potentially rare items that can be used in a game—are akin to illegal gambling. 

“The Loot Box mechanism relies heavily on the psychology of gambling – doing everything possible to build up the player’s hoped-for win, tension, and excitement,” states the class action lawsuit. 

The parents claim that, while Google isn’t making the loot boxes itself, it is helping game developers illegally entice minors to gamble by marketing the games and hosting them on its Play store — making billions of dollars in the process. 

Google, meanwhile, argues it is immune from liability under the Communications Decency Act because it is simply a passive host for the games, and that the parents have not properly alleged economic injury or adequately shown that loot boxes—which it says only dispense items of in-game value, not real world—are akin to illegal gambling, reports Law360.  

Further, Google claims it is not responsible for what the virtual tokens it sells are ultimately used for, noting they can be used to purchase a variety of items, not just loot boxes. 

Timothy G. Blood, an attorney for the parents, argued during the hearing that the items distributed by the loot boxes do in-fact have real world value to consumers. 

“The thing of value doesn’t have to be money or something that can be converted to money; it’s broader than that,” Blood said, reports Law360.

Parents claim Google is guilty of unjust enrichment and in violation of California’s Unfair Competition Law and Consumer Legal Remedies Act. 

A similar class action lawsuit lobbed at Supercell Oy claiming the game developer uses addictive features like those in slot machines to get consumers hooked on its games was thrown out by a California federal judge last month. 

Has your child spent virtual tokens to purchase loot boxes in a game they downloaded from the Google Play store? Let us know in the comments! 

The plaintiffs are represented by Bradford K. Newman, Teresa H. Michaud, Alexander G. Davis, and Anne Kelts Assayag of Baker & McKenzie. 

The Google Loot Boxes Gambling Class Action Lawsuit is Coffee, et al. v. Google LLC, Case No. 5:20-cv-03901, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

Read About More Class Action Lawsuits & Class Action Settlements:

• Google Chrome Users Ask Judge to Certify Class Action Claiming Google Illegally Collects Browser Data
• Google Reaches Settlement Agreement With Users Over Years-Old Data Sharing Claims
• Class Action Alleging Google Monopolized Advertising Market Paused by Judge
• Google Face-Scan Class Action Lawsuit to Move Forward in Illinois State Court