The Short Print

“I’m broke. I need to pay rent. Let's go open up some Pokémon packs.” Some ads for virtual trading card pack ripping sites—"digital rips"—promote ripping packs as a way to make money and pay for everyday expenses. Digital rips look a lot like gambling: Users pay for a chance to win a prize worth real-world money. But developers dispute that comparison. “This is much more like an e-commerce transaction than it is a form of gambling,” PrizePicks chief legal officer Jason Barclay told me last month. Gambling or not, many in the gambling world have begun to pay attention to digital rips. Earlier this year, Drive by DraftKings, a venture capital firm tied to the online sportsbook, participated in a $24 million funding round for Triumph, the start-up behind Rips. The deal valued Triumph at $308 million, according to PitchBook. Ads for Rips often feature hip-hop performers and former athletes. One starring Tekashi 6ix9ine ends with a call-to-action delivered by the rapper: “Download Rips and start making money ripping packs!” Making money through digital rips isn’t guaranteed. On Rips, a breakdown of “estimated payout odds” in a so-called normal pack shows a coin flip’s chance of losing money. Triumph says that Rips and similar products—known as “blind boxes” since shoppers purchase packs without knowing their precise contents—can lead to compulsive spending and addiction. “Although blind box purchasing is legally different than gambling, individuals may find themselves unable to purchase responsibly,” says Triumph’s responsible purchasing policy webpage, which links to resources from the National Council on Problem Gambling and lists the 1-800-Gambler helpline number. “Rips makes no representation that its products are free from risk of compulsive purchasing behavior.”