TCG packs face regulation in Singapore

• Trading Card Games packs will most likely be impacted by a new set of regulatory guidelines in Singapore
• The jurisdiction is looking into "blind boxes" mechanics, which lawmakers fear look too much like gambling
• TCGs use randomized booster packs to award cards

Singapore is planning to regulate packs sold for Trading Card Games (TCGs), such as Yu-Gi-Oh, Pokémon, Magic: The Gathering, and other games of a similar quality.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has told The Straits Times, a local media outlet, that the measure is designed to ensure that young people do not get harmed from the "blind boxes" mechanic, which the office considers to lead to gambling-related risks.

Singapore targets "blind boxes" in latest regulatory focus

TCGs use a mechanic for obtaining additional cards, which are necessary to construct a stronger deck, known as booster packs. A booster pack contains a fixed number of cards, usually with fixed numbers of each grade, but the exact cards inside are not known.

The Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam confirmed in mid-February that these business models would be regulated, referring once again to the "blind box" mechanic.

The new measure is not specifically meant against TCGs, specifically, as it is a part of a wider regulatory framework set to protect consumers against a mechanic that incentivizes them to spend money for a possible reward, which many jurisdictions have been scrutinizing over its resemblance to gambling-like experiences.

Just recently, the Office of the Attorney General in New York filed a lawsuit against Valve, the creator of Team Fortress 2, Dota 2, and Counter-Strike 2, alleging that by offering players the option to buy and then sell digital goods, and specifically skins from loot boxes, the company was facilitating illegal gambling.

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