I suspect it doesn't matter. I initially only requested refunds for three games and I explained my reasons quite a bit. Support replied back simply asking me for a list of which games I wanted refunded and whether I wanted cash, wallet funds, or gift codes for said games. No other questions asked. I then gave them my full list (after having bought some more games) and asked for wallet funds and eventually they replied back with the refund confirmation and closed my ticket. They didn't seem interested in my reasons or explanations, only wanting to know what games to refund and in what form I wanted the refund. Other than the unexpectedly long time it took they handled it all professionally and in good order. I don't think you'll have any issues.

Only "a bit"? Come on ;-)
Almost random recommendation for a movie: "Human Nature" (2001) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0219822/

Bingo. <- See what i did there :)

For me it's most probably more of the former, though I don't look down on the people who view it differently. There's two people here that's the real problem, those who don't want anyone complaining or requesting refunds, and those who complain and then see their experience as a legitimate reason not to have such a sale.

I don't have a problem with people recounting their experience whether good or bad or saying that they are disappointed or not. It's their right to feel that way.

I should probably also mention that I'm what would be called a collector. That doesn't mean I buy indiscriminately but I am probably more inclined to buy games I probably would never play on the chance one day I may feel like playing something specific and dig through my catalogue. There are a few perspectives here of which I can't say any are wrong and they should rather accommodate each other.

Imho the only way this would satisfy everyone is to pick from lists of games where they'd like all or almost all of the games. The only mystery criteria then is the exact title you get and the defining criteria you take a gamble on is the price (whether more or less than the pinata). In order for people not to game the system and buy up all the cheap titles first games they own shouldn't be excluded and duplicates should be allowed but codes should be given instead of automatically adding to library.

Well we can look at it like this, assuming GoG draws games at random from the pool: Some would say that GoG loses out on games costing $20-80 but that's not necessarily the case. Let's assume GoG makes 50% off each sale. They would therefor make $1.50 on each pinata. That is probably also why they've only included games that are in the sale as they then don't have to pay publishers that much. Not let's assume there are 10 $3 titles and 1 $20 title. The $15 they make from the 10 low value pinatas is enough to pay $10 to the publisher of the higher value title. How many low value $3 titles are in the pool and how many higher value ones are? That would determine if they win or lose money.

A second objection I've seen is that people asking refunds lowers the quality of the pool. I can't see how that's the case. The number one reason by far that people are asking for refunds is because they either can't play the game or don't like the genre. It would be valid if people were only asking for refunds for lower value titles in order to get the higher value ones but so far I haven't seen any indication of that happening. So imo asking for refunds for stuff you really don't like isn't going against the spirit of the sale as the main spirit of the sale is for people to be satisfied.

In the end GoG wouldn't be doing these pinata sales if they weren't making money off them. I can see that being the case with people buying 10 where otherwise they would only buy 1 from the regular sale. And it also works for the users otherwise they wouldn't be selling.

But that's just it, whether they give refunds or not is irrelevant to it not being gambling. Gambling is:
1. Based on chance there is a winning and a losing party.
That's not the case here as GoG always get their money and you always get your prize.
2. Based on chance you may get your money back or not.
Not the case here as you can just ask for it back and cancel the contract.
3. Based on chance you may or may not get a prize.
Clearly not the case here as you are buying something guaranteed even though it's a mystery.

Not only does this not satisfy the criteria for gambling it doesn't satisfy even one of the criteria.

If the possibly of a refund is excluded, then it exactly satisfies the criteria for gambling for someone in my situation. I wouldn't pay three dollars for 95% of the games in the pool, and thus CHANCE would decide whether or not I receive a prize. The prize is a game i want, not just any game in the pool.

I pay $3. A game is drawn out of a hat (the pool). If it is a game I want, I win, and my money was not wasted. If it is a game I would not want, I lose, and my money is wasted.

Gambling 101.

From Dictionary.com:

"to stake or risk money, or anything of value, on the outcome of something involving chance" - I am risking $3 (my stake) on the chance that the game I receive will be a game I would want to pay for.

This really isn't that difficult.

Now, if we factor in the ability to refund any game earned from a pinata so that I can never lose, then I would agree that this is no longer a true gamble, because my stake (money in this case) is no longer at risk.

I've been a huge fan of GOG for years now, but this Piñata gambling sale makes me worried. Yes, people are free to just ignore it (I certainly did), but it makes me worried that GOG is moving the direction that we DON'T want them to go and it putting easy profits over providing a good service to their customers. In the past, GOG has always done customer surveys before making big changes, but suddenly introducing gambling to the site seems like a pretty massive change and I know I definitely didn't receive a survey asking for my opinion on it.

When will the Saints Row 4 games be on sale again ?

No it isn't. Gambling isn't just gambling in certain people's situations but either in everyone's situation or in nobody's. You're changing the definition because you think it should pertain to you in which case we can all just start changing definitions willy nilly. If this is your definition of gambling then so is purchasing a game you haven't played yet as you may end up not wanting it. Refunds are a non-issue as you won't get a refund in that instance anyway.

Yes this isn't really that difficult.

I can't believe you're struggling so hard to understand something so simple. You seem like you speak very good English (much better than I can speak Russian!), so I can't imagine it's a language barrier issue.

Purchased Grim Fandango Remastered. I have also planned to pick Day of the Tentacle - but it seems it's no longer on sale so I went for Brothers: A tale of two sons instead.

It isn't truly gambling but you have turned it into one for yourself.

1. Who are the parties involved in this 'gamble?' Is it you and GOG? If so what is the wager they are putting on the table? Is it a great game? Or just any game in their pool? And what offer are you putting on the table? Is it $3? No. GOG hasn't made any wager or bet with you, nor have you made a bet with GOG. If anything you are simply making a bet or wager only with yourself - $3 says I get a great game. But even then that can't be an honest bet because if you do get a 'great' game you're still out the $3. As far as the law and GOG is concerned they're simply selling you a product - a pinata and the game within it.

2. What is the game of chance that is being played to determine who is the winner and who is the loser? Did you make a wager with GOG saying something like heads I win and you give me a great game, tails you win and I give you $3? Has GOG made a wager with you saying something like if it rains in Denmark today then we'll give you a great game, but if it doesn't we'll give you a bad game? Nope. No game of chance is being played, unless you yourself determine that whatever game appears in the pinata is the game of chance: a great game means I'm a winner, and a bad game means I lose. But then who determines what a 'great' game (and therefore who 'wins') is and what a 'bad' game (and therefore who 'loses') is? Only you can determine what a 'winning' game is and what a 'losing' game is, therefore this isn't truly gambling in the legal sense either because it's based on an arbitrary outcome that only you can determine and not something that can be proven in a court of law to both parties.

3. What is the prize to be won? Is GOG putting a game on the table? And are you putting $3 on the table? If so then for it to truly be gambling then there must be a winner and a loser (determined by the game of chance in #2). If this was truly gambling and GOG is the winner then they should walk away with what they put on the table (a game), and what you put on the table ($3), while you get nothing because you lost the wager. If, on the other hand, you're the winner, then you would be walking away with both your $3 and the game. Such is obviously not the case and therefore this cannot be gambling in the strictest sense of the word. Win or lose you're walking away with a game and GOG is walking away with $3. This means that a transaction has been made, not a gamble.

Gambling (generally) involves two or more parties. A wager/bet must be made - each participant in the gamble must offer something on the table that can be won or lost. A game of chance, the outcome of which is easily provable, is then played to determine who is the winner(s), and who is the loser(s). Whoever wins gets the winning portions of the gamble while the loser walks away having to forfeit their wager.

You can, of course, gamble privately with yourself - which is exactly what you are doing. This Pinata event, however, is not a gambling scheme and any respectable court of law will say that GOG is not engaged in gambling. So please, even though you have determined to make this into a gambling event for yourself, don't be disingenuous and claim that the pinata sale itself is a gamble or that GOG and its customers are engaging in gambling. Such a claim is simply not true and would never hold up in a court of law. If they were gambling there would be strict measures put into place which would have to be regulated and enforced - such as having a gambling license and not allowing minors to participate.

You realise that it was at least the fourth sale with mystery games? They had another Pinata sale a year ago and before that an "Luck of the Irish" sale and another one I'm not sure about the nam, think it was Mutabor or something similar).

And it's not a big change. They do it one time a year. If you don't like it, buy your games in promos and sales the othe 51 weeks of the year.

Yes, PaterAlf, but people are afraid of change! Even if it's something that has happened since about 2012 or so, if you count in the countdown sales which technically involved "chance" because you weren't guaranteed the purchase of a particular game or free game if you were slow.

Why the discount for Bombshell is no longer available? Is it was on sale separately from Pinata Madness?