May 30, 2026
TikTok is the birthplace of many viral trends. One of the latest, “lucky scoops,” is popular with a younger audience — in a way that could potentially impact them down the line.
Lucky scoops are videos where creators package orders from customers, usually in an ASMR-style (using whispering, tapping or clicking sounds that some people find soothing and enjoyable). The catch is that the buyers of lucky scoop packages don’t know what they’re going to get until it is scooped and sent to them. The tokens the creators scoop — whether with their hands or an actual scoop — correspond to a legend that determines what type of items go in the package. For example, a creator might scoop a yellow heart-shaped bead, which means the customer gets a key chain in their package.
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It all sounds pretty fun on the surface. Who doesn’t love a harmless surprise? But some people are worried about the bad habits it might be promoting to young viewers of these videos.
Lucky Scoop TikTok videos: Is this gambling for children?
Because the videos feature a stimulating variety of bright, plastic items and often use a voiceover feature that makes the audio sound like a little girl speaking, they are highly appealing to children.
Some experts worry that these videos are exposing kids to harmful gambling habits. Moneywise has reached out to TikTok for more information about whether these kinds of videos are permitted on the platform and whether the company is concerned about potential harms to children.
Mina Hazar, manager of national provincial programs at YMCA of Greater Toronto, oversees the Youth Gambling Awareness Program. Speaking to CBC, she said, “This chance-based activity is like gambling because the buyer doesn’t know whether the end product will be worth the money.”
Lucky scoops function like casino games in that they are designed to earn the business a profit and sell a sense of surprise and unpredictability.
“You will become more comfortable with uncertainty, and you’ll become more comfortable to make repeated [purchases] to chase rare or high-value rewards despite low odds,” Hazar told CBC.
CBC also spoke to Dr. Shannon Charlebois, a family medicine physician, who said that while chance-based activities can start off innocently, they can progress into gambling addiction.
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According to Harris Poll on behalf of the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG), two thirds of U.S. adults aged 21 and older reported participating in at least one form of gambling before age 21. Among some of the activities they took part in were placing sports bets and playing online casino-style games.
On top of that, younger adults reported higher rates of early sports betting and online casino play before age 21 compared to older generations.
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The costs of picking up a gambling habit early
Just like traditional gambling, these lucky scoops come at a cost.
TikTok user @refashionedhippie took a look at the average costs of some of the products featured in one user’s lucky scoop videos. According to their research, the products were mostly from cheap online retailers, and cost approximately $16 to $22 in total. The corresponding lucky scoop bag was priced at $70, although many bigger or smaller bundles are available at different prices.
It’s true that packs of colourful pink beads resembling those in Lucky Scoop videos retail for $1-3 on Shein in the U.S. Six butterfly phone holders, another favourite, cost $1.25. Seeing your order get packed on TikTok also costs money. One popular creator charges $27.57.
The NCPG poll reported that 66% of Americans say they are concerned about the impact of underage exposure to gambling or gambling-like activities. And with trends like lucky scoops going viral, there might be some merit to these fears.
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Em Norton is a Content Specialist at moneywise.com. They have been with the company since 2022.
