Rips App: Digital Card Pack Ripping as Gambling
The Rips app, where users pay to open digital card packs and win physical cards, has become a popular way to spend thousands. Since its launch in October 2025, it has been downloaded over 6 million times.
How Rips Works
Rips is a mobile app that lets users pay to open digital packs of collectible cards, mainly Pokémon, to win physical cards. Opened cards can be immediately sold back to the app. The app is developed by Triumph, which also runs a popular arcade game app where users play for money.
Pack prices range from $1 to $2,500. Each pack guarantees a minimum card value, but rare cards can be worth tens of thousands. Users can adjust a "volatility level" that affects the chances of pulling very valuable or very cheap cards.
Author's Experience
Journalist Reece Rogers tested the app by loading $20. In 15 minutes, he opened 56 packs worth a total of $892. Starting with a $1 pack, he soon pulled a $71 card, and his balance rose to $101. After spending $100 on a gold pack, he got only a $31 card and eventually lost almost all his money.
Gambling Mechanics
Experts say Rips uses the same psychological tricks as casinos. Timothy Fong from UCLA says the app creates an illusion of control, while Shane Kraus from UNLV notes the design is meant to manipulate users. Rips' terms claim it's not gambling but acknowledge possible compulsive purchasing and offer account blocking for overspending.
The app lacks human interaction, unlike traditional card collecting where haggling with a seller is part of the experience.
