The worst part is, whilst I will (personally) always consider lootboxes, mysteryboxes, wheel of fortune (they're all the same thing) gambling, there are ways to make them more fair and less game damaging.
I'm speaking about Aesthetic items, these are regularly sought after and are perfect to go in lootboxes, these are things like new skins, different firing effects/animations. These effects can be active for a range from 5-30days and players will want them just because they 'look cool'.
There are some games that do this, and that do it well. They're proof that these boxes can work if designed with care. But the large publishers only care about how much money they feel they might get from such a feature, and having a banner item (unit/character/weapon) just makes it so much easier to sell with much less effort.
RE: Loot Box Community Debate - Should A Loot Box Purchase Be Classed As Gambling See Below...