Have You Heard of Loot Boxes?
Published: April 29, 2019
Here’s one more story that helps unlock the reality of youth gambling.
As the first month of our new “Change the Game” campaign comes to a close, the story below only reinforces its reason for being. Read how one loot box-style website is now having to answer to its users.
YouTube stars promoted gambling to kids. Now they have to answer to their peers.
‘We do not need to physically own these cars or houses to include them as prizes’
Mystery Brand, the controversial loot box-style website promoted by YouTube creators like Jake Paul and Brian “RiceGum” Le, has confirmed it doesn’t own some of the prizes offered to users, and collects others through a public online marketplace.
The quality of prizes offered to users through Mystery Brand varies from cheap fidget spinners to California mansions and luxury cars. Mystery Brand teamed up with Paul and Le for sponsored videos, reportedly paying at least $100,000 for both creators through sponsorship deals. The videos showed Le and Paul winning an assortment of prizes, including a pair of Off-White Nike Air Max 97 shoes (valued at $835) and an iPhone XS (valued at $1,000). A number of Mystery Brand users on Reddit and Twitter have raised questions about the company, accusing it of giving away fake items or not delivering prizes at all. Both Le and Paul faced harsh criticism from the YouTube community for promoting the site, including videos from major creators like Ethan Klein and PewDiePie.