Thursday, 19 June 2025

 Aiv PUGLIELLI (North-Eastern Metropolitan) (10:08): Labubu fever has swept the world. People are lining up for hours hoping to get their hands on the $32 Labubu that they want. But it is not just the queues of people that they are having to beat to get their hands on this little furry key chain; they have to win the Labubu lottery, because Labubus are gacha, they are blind boxes. They are part of a system where you do not know what you are going to get until after you buy and open it. So instead of buying one, maybe you buy two or three, increasing your chances of securing the design that you want. It kind of sounds like gambling, because it is gambling. I am not hating on Labubus here, let me get that clear, but blind box collectables, gacha games and loot boxes, which we see too often in video gaming, are becoming increasingly popular among young people. And it is obvious why – because gambling is designed to be addictive. For the companies it is extremely profitable. Young people are living in a world where gambling is so normalised they are seeing gambling ads every day. The major parties are still receiving huge donations from these gambling companies, and as a consequence they are too afraid to really crack down on what is a predatory industry. Young people are experiencing the effects of gambling addiction before they have even graduated from primary school. We need to act.