I agree that this is a form of gambling. Although it is not necessarily new for the element of randomness to be incorporated as a marketing tool in children's toys/entertainment (I am thinking of hockey/pokemon cards or the "L.O.L Surprise" dolls) the relative ease and speed of purchasing loot boxes in a video game is concerning to me.
The Gambling, Gaming & Technology Use Community of Interest brings together addiction and mental health service providers, researchers and subject matter experts in the fields of gambling, technology/Internet use and video gaming to collaborate and share knowledge on emerging trends and clinical best practices.