The Transformation of the Baseball Card Market
Baseball cards were long a children's hobby, with the joy of collecting favorite player cards. However, from the late 2010s, the market transformed dramatically. MLB rookie cards of Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout began trading for tens of millions of yen, giving cards the character of 'investment products.' NPB cards also see high-value trading for autographed and serial-numbered limited cards. The card market has shifted from children's hobby to adult speculation, with pure collection culture retreating.
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Pack Opening Videos and Gambling-Like Excitement
Card pack opening videos have gained massive popularity on YouTube and social media. Videos showing real-time purchases of expensive boxes to see if rare cards appear provide viewers with gambling-like excitement. The joy of 'hitting' and disappointment of 'missing' mirror the psychological structure of slot machines and gacha. The problem is that many viewers of these videos are children. Regular exposure to content fueling gambling instincts risks children developing gambling-like thinking patterns.
Impact on Children - A Structure That Drains Allowances
Card packs range from several hundred to several thousand yen, affordable with children's allowances. However, rare card insertion rates are extremely low, requiring massive pack purchases to pull desired cards. The psychology of 'one more pack might be the winner' mirrors gambling addiction mechanisms. Card manufacturers often don't disclose insertion rates, preventing consumers (especially children) from accurately understanding expected value. Cases of children spending entire allowances and New Year's money on cards without parents' knowledge are raising concerns in educational settings.
The Need for Regulation and Self-Regulation
Virtually no regulation exists for baseball cards' gambling aspects. While the Consumer Affairs Agency has established some regulations for social game gacha, physical card packs are exempt. Self-regulation by card manufacturers including disclosure of insertion rates, sales restrictions to minors, and restraint on gambling-inducing advertising is needed. Since teams and NPB are involved in the card business, they bear responsibility for minimizing negative impacts on children. For baseball cards to remain a healthy hobby for children, efforts to curb speculative market overheating and restore the genuine joy of collecting are necessary.