Creatures Inc.

Gambling by Proxy: Loot Box Live Streams and the Digital Gambling Ecosystem

This study examines how loot box opening live streams on YouTube create conditions for gambling-like participation within the broader digital gambling ecosystem.

• Loot boxes resemble traditional gambling structurally and psychologically, yet loot box live streams on YouTube have largely escaped platform-level content surveillance.
• The study is a qualitative content analysis of 20 YouTube live streams (11 Counter-Strike 2 case openings averaging 6–10 hours; 9 Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket pack openings averaging 1–2 hours) from three streamers.
• Streamers invited viewers to take part, framed themselves as opening loot boxes on viewers' behalf, and used tiered recognition systems and direct solicitation to elicit financial contributions.