Perks of already playing SM first's that it conditioned you to the already bad probabilities of lootboxes first before you matured and moved on to higher quality lootbox-based games....oddly enough being a blessing in disguise somewhat .
3 things to address : - SM is indeed a Gacha game by the definition below with it's randomized item generation lootboxes mechanic built within the prenium packs...though im not sure its illegal or not that i don't see any probability rate board when i hover the boxes, which in some country is a mandatory by law requirement, but perhaps SM's just not that notorious to earn legal attentions. - Gacha is a video game that implements the gacha (toy vending machine) mechanic. Similar to loot boxes, gacha games entice players to spend in-game currency to receive a random in-game item. Some in-game currency generally can be gained through game play, and some by purchasing it from the game publisher using real-world funds, if the game is not "grindy and p2w", they may as well go bankrupt from having to hold a game that provide zero money profits to them, even then SM's still a merciful p2w intensity compare to some gacha games out there that makes you question your life choices.