Shopping is gambling, and gambling is no longer just about poker and slot machines, but also Labubu, blind boxes, and TikTok. A new addictive cycle targeting female consumers: soft gambling is on the rise, where the stakes are emotional, not financial. This article is based on an article by John Wang, compiled, edited, and written by Foresight News. (Previous: Labubu's stock price plummeted! Secondhand prices halved, scalpers are losing money, is Pop Mart entering a cooling-off period?) (Background: $LABUBU meme token surged 2000% in two weeks, and Pop Mart, a "super IP" that was snapped up globally, saw its stock price hit a new high.) The rise of soft gambling, led by women. A girl bought three Pop Mart blind boxes and filmed an intriguing TikTok unboxing video. "Please let me get the hidden Sleeping Bear version... But honestly, anything cute will make me happy," she whispered. A man tore open a $500 Pokémon box on a live stream, his eyes fixed on the camera. "If I don't get a PSA 10 Charizard, this whole box is fucking worthless." Gambling isn't always about poker chips and slot machines; sometimes it's pink bunnies, blind boxes, and TikTok livestreams. Somewhere between retail marketing and roulette, a new addictive cycle has emerged targeting female consumers. The same random reward mechanics, but with completely different stakes, atmosphere, and psychology. Welcome to the soft gaming market: a soft gaming market built for psychological comfort, not for conquest. Data shows this. Consider the user demographics of the largest "soft gaming" brands: Pop Mart blind box toys: 75% are female, with a 50% repurchase rate. Shein and Temu: 63%-66% are female, compared to Amazon, which skews male. Slotomania's social casino: 72% of active players are female, primarily aged 35-55. In contrast, only 4% of participants in the 2025 World Series of Poker were female. The further you move away from "real money at the table" and the more you pay for the surprise itself, the more female your audience becomes. The "soft" gaming model: Pop Mart. Each series features twelve adorable dolls, with one or two "hidden" items. Each $10 box definitely has a prize, but it's not necessarily your target prize.Collectors filmed their highly anticipated unboxing videos, swapped repeat items, and kept coming back for more. According to the company, nearly half returned within a year. Shein and Temu. Toys became tops and lip glosses; loot boxes became spin-to-win coupons or two-hour flash sales. Shopping became a video game-like loop: click, reveal, dopamine, repeat. Social casino apps like Slotomania and Bingo Blitz digitally push the same buttons (free spins, ribbons celebrating wins, risk-free captures), yet they've raked in billions of dollars selling cosmetics within their apps. All three employ the variable reward mechanisms familiar to casino designers, but the stakes are emotional, not financial. Unlike poker or slot machines, these systems rarely disclose odds, creating a gentler "fog of war." It's a game of low-stakes, soft feedback loops, built for habitual players rather than thrill-seekers. Why it works? Gains, not outright losses. Whether it's a stuffed bunny or a $2 lipstick, the psychological comfort of getting something in return entices participation. Ritual outweighs risk. Opening the box, clicking the spinner, and showing off your loot are small rituals that punctuate the day. A Pop Mart fan might whisper, "Please, it's the Sleeping Bear..." as they unbox their item on TikTok, accompanied by music. Compare this to expected value calculations based on game theory optimization (GTO) and hero calls in poker. The former is self-satisfaction, the latter a zero-sum game. Aesthetics outweigh conquest: The reward isn't resale value, but how the item aligns with an emotional outlet. Pop Mart fans don't flaunt price; they decorate with Sanrio plush next to a playful Labubu. While male collectors typically pursue single items, female collectors tend to seek out complete sets that reflect their personal tastes ("I finally got the pink bunny! My zodiac sign collection is complete!"). Sharing joy, not PvP: A Memecoin trader shows off screenshots of a 1000% profit and loss. A Pokémon GO box opener flaunts a $400 card draw. A Pop Mart box opener shows off duplicates on TikTok and asks, "Anyone want this pink bunny?"One is competitive, the other is about sharing and spiritual resonance. Saving money is more important than making money: Shein shoppers spin a wheel to get a 20% discount and invite friends to unlock coupons. The thrill lies in the dopamine rush of unlocking deals, not beating the market. The Temu and Shein apps are half shopping, and the other half is highly addictive social gambling mini-games to unlock product discounts. Gambling motivations: Academic research supports this behavioral difference: A 2024 study in the Journal of Addictive Behaviors found that men gamble more for money and competition, while women gamble for escape, emotional regulation, and social connection. Another study showed that women respond more strongly to low-risk reward loops, while men are more engaged when the stakes and potential payouts are higher. Men gamble for glory; women gamble for pleasure. A business model with ultra-high retention: Low average order value and high sales volume are the engines of growth. Pop Mart's gross profit margin is approximately 60%; Shein has users opening the app over 100 times per month. Merchants don't rely on big spenders; they need hundreds of millions of $10s. Lifetime value (LTV) isn't driven by jackpots or leaderboards. It's built on emotional attachment, soft rituals, and the urge to complete a collection. This is why Pop Mart's retention rate outperforms traditional toy brands and mainstream retail. Shopping is a game. Call it blind box retail, lucky bag fashion, or pastel-colored slot machines—the mechanics are all gaming DNA, minus the macho bravado. Shein, Temu, and TikTok Shop take the same dopamine-fueled backbone and expand it into complete retail ecosystems: Shein: daily spins, flash sale bags only, recommended feeds instead of search, over 100 app opens per month. Temu: flash sales, social invite-for-coupon roulette, and a first-day "spin the wheel" mechanic (women click 1.4 times more than men). TikTok Shop: Shoppable unboxing videos labeled "mystery bags" receive 2-4 times the engagement of standard ones. The "surprise premium" is real. Each platform turns shopping into a gamified loop: view → spin → maybe → repeat.Counterintuitively, the prize isn't the product, but the dopamine rush that comes with opening the box. Conclusion For women who rarely see themselves at the poker table, these more gentle arenas offer the same dopamine rush. The feminine side of gambling isn't about chasing the jackpot. It's about chasing a feeling: the fleeting "maybe" before the box pops open, the reels stop spinning, or the flash sale appears. This proves that happiness can actually be bought for ten dollars at a time. And this makes the "blind box business"...