So Bioware is not backing down from the "Grab Bags"

There is a difference between gambling and making a "mystery/blind purchase." You are getting the items that are listed, every time you purchase the item. There is no potential for loss.

The potential loss would be buying 700 bags trying to get one particular item.

There is a difference between gambling and making a "mystery/blind purchase." You are getting the items that are listed, every time you purchase the item. There is no potential for loss.

Disagree. If the items are "worthless" to the person that obtained them then it is a loss.

Now before you argue that the person could wait till the bind timer expiers and then sell them, I counter with then the person "incurs a time sink" and a "new gamble" by playing the GTN which could be viewed as annoying by people that don't like to play the GTN mini-game.

I don't like lock boxes and never will. I don't even "buy" lotto "scratchers" for similar reasons, nor would I ever go to Los Vegas or any similar destination to "gamble" as a form of entertainment.

I can get "all the rush" I need PvPing ( I do PvP from time to time contrary to popular belief).

Off topic.
Gambling is only regulated so the the government gets their cut. No moral in there just to get paid. And since they are going to have it filed as income and taxed it is perfectly fine. All they need to follow is to state there is a 30 % chance or whatever for the drop and have that correctly set up in the code and there is nothing immoral about it.

I could also buy a billion bags of chips trying to find one shaped like Abraham Lincoln. It doesn't mean I'm gambling.

Disagree. If the items are "worthless" to the person that obtained them then it is a loss.

Now before you argue that the person could wait till the bind timer expiers and then sell them, I counter with then the person "incurs a time sink" and a "new gamble" by playing the GTN which could be viewed as annoying by people that don't like to play the GTN mini-game.

I don't like lock boxes and never will. I don't even "buy" lotto "scratchers" for similar reasons, nor would I ever go to Los Vegas or any similar destination to "gamble" as a form of entertainment.

I can get "all the rush" I need PvPing ( I do PvP from time to time contrary to popular belief).

I could also buy a billion bags of chips trying to find one shaped like Abraham Lincoln. It doesn't mean I'm gambling.

So you are stating that it is gambling because the purchaser decides that the intent of the item is something other than what is clearly stated?

Alright, so in this situation your definition of gambling is paying real currency for a 'chance' at an item you want.

We pay 15$ a month for a 'chance' at a particular item we want from HMs, raids, and REing items. By your standards the game itself should be a gamble. The RNG involved means we are paying 15$ but are not guaranteed the drops we desire.

The loot bags have a loot table. Some items are undoubtedly going to have a lower chance of spawning than others. But the bag is no different than a player buying a Flashpoint Loot pass. In fact it is the exact same due to the above statement that our subscription could 'technically' be considered gambling due tot he RNG nature of loot drops.

I guess if we are going to consider the loot bags as gambling, we need to consider every other RNG aspect of the game in the same light so long as we have to pay.