The Department of Defense has removed a loot box vending machine from the Pentagon after just a month of operations. A department spokesperson told Task & Purpose on Friday that the Lucky Box Vending machine was “temporarily” moved out of the food hall it has been in since late December.
The machine, where customers would pay money for an unknown item — which could be relatively cheap sports memorabilia or rare “holy grail” collectors’ items worth tens of thousands of dollars — was located inside the Pentagon’s main food hall, Task & Purpose learned, where military personnel and civilian employees could use it. At least, it was.
“The Lucky Box has been temporarily moved pending additional review,” Sue Gough, a department spokesperson, confirmed to Task & Purpose. It’s unclear what the review is about.
Top Stories This Week
Images of the vending machine first hit military-focused social media pages earlier this month. Lucky Box Vending first announced the arrival of the vending machine at the Pentagon on Dec. 23, posting to social media about the new location. As 404 Media reported, the company’s posts about its Pentagon location were taken down. Lucky Box did not respond to emails from Task & Purpose asking about the status of the vending machine.
“A place built on legacy, leadership, and history — now experiencing the thrill of Lucky Box firsthand,” the company wrote in a now-deleted post to Threads. “This is a milestone moment for Lucky Box and we are excited for this opportunity.”
The Pentagon location was the only one in the immediate area around Washington, D.C., although there are three farther out in Virginia and Maryland.
The machines are similar to the gacha machines in Japan, where customers get a small capsule containing unknown items. Essentially, it’s a real-life version of the loot boxes found in video games. Those virtual versions, where users would spend real money for unknown digital rewards, took off in gaming but earned major backlash, and an FTC investigation.
Lucky Box Vending operates dozens of these, where each individual play costs around $100. According to the company, more than a dozen are located in Las Vegas, and its social media posts show several in casinos.
