The Straits Times Podcasts S1E68: Trading cards: Childhood hobby, investment asset or a gateway to gambling?
Mar 24, 2026
Lim Boon Leng, psychiatrist offering clinical insight into addictive behaviours. Chew Zhan Lun, co-founder of CTRL Collectibles and high‑value card collector. They discuss soaring card prices and grading, how blind packs mimic gambling mechanics, risks of addiction and youth exposure, the role of livestreams and influencers, and what sensible regulation might look like.
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Rejected A $1.3 Million Offer
- Chew received a $1.3 million offer for a PSA 9 card and rejected it, then noted Logan Paul sold a PSA 10 of the same card for a record price.
- That anecdote shows how a single grade step can multiply value and attract headlines.
Blind Packs Use Gambling Psychology
- Opening blind packs uses random positive reinforcement that mimics gambling mechanics and spikes dopamine.
- Lim Boon Leng explains randomness and the thrill of rare pulls drive repeated purchases like a brain 'hack'.
I Kept Buying Until I Hit The Pull
- Chew describes buying and opening cases of booster packs, then buying more after misses until he hit the card he wanted.
- His experience illustrates chasing the next win and the dopamine-driven loop in practice.