Games

You still haven't responded about the real money part lmfao

the point of a slot machine from the players perspective isn't colors moving, which is the only common theme between the two.

This is how I know you're full of shit. The only common theme between a slot machine and a gacha game/loot box is that colors move? How about the fact that it's a device that heavily incentivises you continuously spend real money to attempt to get a randomly determined result, with the most desirable results being the least common?

Whether happy meals are a form of gambling could be an interesting discussion, if you were a smarter and nicer person. Lootboxes and gacha games super duper duper duper duper are though

It's like saying a horse is a tree because they're both brown.

No, it's like saying gachapon games are gambling because they let players spend real money to get a randomly determined result, with the most desirable results being the rarest, triggering the same reward system in the brain that other forms of gambling do, which is harmful to children not just because it triggers those reward systems, but because it entices them to spend real money on more rolls.

The reason I don't consider Diablo a form of gambling is because you aren't heavily encouraged to try to get every legendary item, and even if you really want a particular one, you can't just pull out your credit card and spend minutes at a time dropping real money on more rolls. You have to put in effort. You have to play the game.

ETA: I'm going to go ahead and say happy meals aren't a form of gambling, because a) results are all equally likely, b) you aren't heavily encouraged to collect any particular reward, and most importantly c) you can simply ask a cashier for a particular reward. Imagine if you could just ask the dealer to give you 21 in blackjack, or ask the slot machine for a jackpot