Gamers should get ready to place their bets because Grand Theft Auto Online is adding casinos. Grand Theft Auto Online is the multiplayer online extension of Grand Theft Auto V. In the MMO, players can explore the state of San Andreas and participate in co-op or competitive game matches. Developed by Rockstar Games, the multiplayer component of Grand Theft Auto V launched in 2013.
Grand Theft Auto V was a hit with players when it released: it was only the third game ever to hit the 100 million sales mark. After Rockstar added Grand Theft Auto Online, players continued to purchase and support the title, which is why many are still playing it six years after its initial release. It was the online component that helped make the game the most profitable entertainment product of all time. Rockstar continues to add content and updates to Grand Theft Auto Online, giving players a reason to keep signing back on.
Rockstar recently tweeted that the latest addition to Grand Theft Auto Online will include a luxury casino in Vinewood. Unfortunately, Rockstar isn’t giving out a lot of details about how players get cash to spend in the casino. However, considering the generally short timeframe between the announcement of Grand Theft Auto Online features and their implementation in the game, players are likely to find out soon.
Casinos are hardly a new addition to the franchise: Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas had casinos that let players indulge in roulette, video poker, slot machines and blackjack. Grand Theft Auto Online will likely include those games and possibly more. However, there could be a catch with the casino in Grand Theft Auto Online. In the online game, players can currently spend their real money on in-game money. Would the casino take in-game money purchased with real money? And if that happens, doesn’t that constitute real gambling?
There is already a great deal of controversy surrounding the purchase of loot boxes in video games: several countries have outright banned loot boxes because they believe it is illegal gambling. Even the U.S. Senate is considering loot boxes and their legality. Allowing real cash to be used for in-game money to be used in a casino seems like it might put Grand Theft Auto Online on legally shaky ground, so expect more details from Rockstar soon as people begin speculating on how the casino will be implemented and potentially generating more controversy than its official unveiling ever could.
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Source: Rockstar Games/Twitter
