Gacha Games Deceptive Gambling Investigation
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Gacha games deceptive gambling and in-app purchases targeting children: Who’s affected?
If your child has made in-app purchases in a game that was advertised as free and suitable for children, you may qualify to participate in a Gacha Games deceptive gambling investigation.
In-app purchases have become a major source of profits for video game developers. These purchases can become enticing and even addictive. However, children are especially susceptible to making these purchases. They may not be aware that they are spending real money, and may not have the decision-making skills needed to understand the consequences of making in-app purchases.
Unfortunately, some app developers may be taking advantage of children and may be building many expensive in-app purchases into games specifically designed for children. To make matters worse, they may be advertising the game as “free to play” so that children and their parents do not suspect that the game may contain in-app purchases.
Some games that include surprise in-app purchases may include, but are not limited to:
- Marvel Strike Force
- Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes
- Gacha World/Gacha Life/Gacha Club
- Arknights
- Final Fantasy Brave Exvius
- Raid: Shadow Legends
- Dragon Ball Legends/ Dragon Ball Z Dokkan Battle
- Fire Emblem Heroes
Games that include surprise in-app purchases are known as “gacha games.” They may take parents by surprise with their in-app purchases that can result in hundreds or thousands of dollars in fees.
Do You Qualify?
If your child played and spent money on one or more of these gacha games, you may qualify to participate in a Gacha games deceptive gambling investigation.
Fill out the form on this page for more information.
In-App Purchases
In-app purchases have become a serious source of revenue for video game developers. This is because many people may purchase the game thinking that it is free, and be taken by surprise when they are prompted to make in-app purchases to proceed through the game or to access features.
In-app purchases can take a range of forms. In some cases, game developers will allow a player to choose how a character looks by selling various “skins” for characters in the form of in-app purchases.
Gambling
In other instances, app developers might design a game so that players can make an in-app purchase to pay for a chance to win prizes. Often, a desirable prize is advertised, but the chance of winning that prize is low. These kinds of purchases function like gambling, so much so that in-app purchases are an important component of how games are rated. Games with gambling components are not suitable for children, so some game developers may omit gambling components and in-app purchases when submitting their game for game rating, so that children will be permitted to play it.
Refunds for In-App Purchases
Many makers of games with in-app purchases may intentionally market their games in a misleading fashion in the hopes that parents will allow their children to play the games. In these instances, many games may also have convoluted or misleading refund policies that make it hard or impossible for parents to seek refunds for in-app purchases that a child made without their authorization.
However, many states have laws that entitle consumers to refunds for in-app purchases made by minors without their consent. This means that if your child made an in-app purchase without your knowledge, you may have a legal claim and may be entitled to compensation. Some video game companies have already come under fire for their deceptive practices.
Join a Gacha Games Deceptive Gambling lawsuit investigation
Video game makers use in-app purchases to make millions of dollars in profits. These in-app purchases can function much like gambling and can be addictive. While there are laws to protect minors from gambling, some of these video game makers may disguise these games as free or children-friendly. This can lead children to make in-app purchases without their parents’ authorization. If your child played a gacha game and made an in-app purchase, you may have a legal claim.
If your child played and spent money on one or more of these gacha games, you may qualify to participate in a Gacha games deceptive gambling investigation.
Fill out the form on this page for a FREE case evaluation.
