Legal claims against live shopping platforms are putting sports card box breaking under new scrutiny, with plaintiffs arguing that some randomized breaks can function as unregulated games of chance, ESPN reported.
The ESPN report said attorney Paul Lesko filed an arbitration demand this spring against Whatnot on behalf of nearly 70 customers. A separate lawsuit filed in July 2025 by another group of plaintiffs makes similar claims against Whatnot and Fanatics Live.
Box Breaking Faces Gambling Questions
Box breaking is a collectibles practice in which a breaker opens sealed sports card boxes or memorabilia on a livestream after selling slots to buyers. A slot can be tied to a team or player, or it can be randomly assigned before the box is opened.
The legal issue is the random version. ESPN reported that the claims focus on whether customers are risking money on an outcome they cannot control, with the possibility of receiving an item worth more than the slot price, less than the slot price or nothing meaningful at all.
The arbitration demand obtained by ESPN says breakers on Whatnot used random tactics such as wheel spins, dice rolls and card draws to determine what purchasers received. The filings allege violations tied to California's ban on illegal lotteries and randomized trading-card grab bags.
Whatnot And Fanatics Live Respond
Whatnot declined additional comment to ESPN on the arbitration demands beyond a previous statement rejecting the complaint's characterization. The company said gambling is not allowed on its platform and described card breaks as a long-running collecting format.
ESPN reported that a Fanatics spokesperson declined to comment. The article also noted that breaks can happen across platforms including Whatnot, Fanatics Live, eBay Live, YouTube, Twitch and TikTok, though the legal claims discussed in detail center on Whatnot and Fanatics Live.
Lesko told ESPN that the arbitration process should begin by mid-July. That timing gives the dispute a near-term procedural marker, not just a broad hobby debate.
Collectibles Business Stakes Are Clear
The story matters beyond one platform because modern card boxes can cost thousands of dollars, and sometimes tens of thousands. Slot buyers may pay for access to a box they could not afford alone, but the value they receive depends heavily on what is inside and how the break is structured.
ESPN cited a 2019 example in which a $50 randomized slot yielded a Dallas Mavericks allocation from a 2018-19 basketball box that contained a Luka Doncic one-of-one rookie-year card. The same dynamic can also leave buyers with products worth far less than the slot price.
The verified development is not a final ruling on the legality of box breaking. It is that legal claims are now challenging parts of a major sports collectibles business model, and the outcome could shape how randomized breaks are offered, disclosed or regulated.