Regulatory & Legal FAQ

1. Is SneakBox gambling?

No. Here is the reasoning, not just the conclusion.

US law generally treats an activity as an illegal lottery or gambling when three elements are all present: consideration (you pay), chance (an outcome you don’t control), and a prize (you might win something of value — or lose your money and get nothing). Remove any one element and the activity is not gambling.

This is the same reason a sealed trading-card pack at a hobby shop is retail rather than a lottery ticket: you always receive the goods you paid for; randomness determines which item, never whether you get one. [Counsel: this page states the legal position in plain English — confirm it matches the opinion letter’s analysis and tone before launch, and adjust any characterization counsel would not stand behind.]

2. Why is SneakBox rated 18+ with “Contains Loot Boxes”?

Apple’s age-rating questionnaire asks every app whether it sells randomized items; apps that do are rated 18+ and the App Store shows a “Contains Loot Boxes” notice. We answer that questionnaire honestly, so the badge appears on our listing. We also require 18+ ourselves — your date of birth gates the account at signup, and your identity is verified before anything ships — not because SneakBox is gambling, but because we believe purchases with a randomized element should be adult decisions (Eligibility).

3. Why do you verify my age and identity?

Three reasons: to keep minors out (a hard rule — your date of birth gates the account at signup, and a third-party identity-verification provider confirms age and identity before your first shipment); to enforce one account per person, which is what makes protections like spend limits and self-exclusion meaningful; and to meet fraud- and anti-money-laundering obligations that apply to any retailer holding customer balances. What the vendor sees and how long results are kept is in the Privacy Policy.

4. Why isn’t SneakBox available in my state?

SneakBox is available to residents of every US state except Washington and Idaho. Those states’ laws are written or interpreted broadly enough to create genuine uncertainty about randomized-product sales — and “probably fine” is not a standard we operate on. The authoritative, current list (and what happens if you move) is on the Age & State Eligibility page. The list can change in either direction as laws evolve.

5. Is store credit money? Can I cash out?

No and no — by design. After a reveal you choose: ship the pair, or sell it back for Store Credit at 85% of listed market value. Store Credit is usable only to buy Boxes and pay shipping inside the Service. It is never withdrawable, convertible to cash, or transferable to another person. There is no cash-out anywhere in SneakBox. If you want cash rather than sneakers or credit, SneakBox is the wrong product — and we say so in the Terms.

6. How do I know the published odds are real?

You don’t have to trust us — you can check. Before your purchase we publish a cryptographic commitment (hash) of the server seed; your device contributes a client seed; the outcome is derived from both plus a per-open nonce. After the server seed rotates, it is disclosed, and you can recompute your outcome and confirm both the commitment and the odds table it ran against. Step-by-step instructions and a verification tool are on the Fairness page. The odds table for every purchase is versioned and recorded with your order.

7. What does SneakBox actually guarantee?

• A real pair, every Box, at or above the stated minimum value. No empty outcomes, no losing outcomes (Terms §2).
• The odds you saw are the odds you got — verifiable per open; if a technical error runs the wrong table, you get a re-run or a full refund (Terms §3).
• Authenticated pairs. Every shipped pair is authenticated and inspected; verified authenticity failures are refunded in cash (Refunds & Returns).
• Full refund on unopened Boxes, any time before the open (Refunds & Returns).

8. Is SneakBox an investment?

No. Sneaker resale values move up and down, listed market values are good-faith estimates rather than promises, and nothing in the Service is a way to store, grow, or move money. Buy Boxes because you want sneakers and enjoy the reveal — never as a financial strategy.

9. Is SneakBox licensed as a gambling operator?

No — gambling licenses apply to gambling products, and SneakBox is a retailer of physical sneakers using a disclosed randomized selection, as explained in Question 1. We operate under the laws that govern retail: consumer-protection statutes, sales and tax law, state privacy law (Privacy Policy), and the platform rules of the Apple App Store. Where a state’s law makes the retail characterization uncertain, we exclude the state rather than operate in a gray zone (Question 4). [Counsel: confirm this framing after the opinion letter; if any state requires registration, bonding, or disclosures for mystery-box retailers specifically, list them here.]

10. What if my spending stops feeling fun?

Then the tools are already on your account: every new account starts with a default monthly spend limit, and you can set daily/weekly/monthly caps, purchase cool-downs, a hard timeout of up to 30 days, or permanent self-exclusion — lowering a limit is instant, raising one always waits 24 hours. All of it is in Responsible Purchasing, along with confidential resources like the National Council on Problem Gambling helpline (1-800-GAMBLER), which is free and confidential regardless of what a product is called.

Questions we didn’t answer

Legal questions: legal@sneakbox.app. Anything else: support@sneakbox.app or Support.