New rules on games of chance are coming to Origins. Here's what's changing, why it's happening, and what you can still play.
You've probably seen that Habbo has updated its Terms of Service, and that one of the changes is about games of chance. Lots of you have asked whether that means Origins too.
It does. Origins has its own Terms of Service, and our update to them is still under review. We expect it to mirror Habbo's, so here's what Habbo's new rules mean for you, with straight answers to the questions you've been asking most.
📅 When does this start?
The updated Origins Terms are due in February 2027. Until then, nothing changes in how you run your rooms.
That gives you time to try new games, and it gives us time to hear what you need from us.
🎲 What's actually changing?
From February 2027, prizes of value can't be handed out by chance. That covers free raffles, lucky draws and giveaways, not just paid ones.
A prize of value is anything a Habbo could otherwise buy, sell or trade: credits, furni and rares. Playing for fun, for bragging rights or for a shout-out in your room doesn't count.
Betting and casinos are already against the Habbo Way, so that part isn't new. The new part is that free games of chance can't give out valuable prizes either.
🤔 Why is it called gambling? Nobody paid anything.
Gambling laws usually look for three things:
- You put something in.
- Luck decides the result.
- You can win something of value.
For years, making a game free was enough to keep it out of trouble. That's changing. Some countries now treat free raffles and giveaways as gambling too when the prize has real value.
In Origins, it does. Furni can be traded, and Habbos buy and sell it, so a rare isn't just pixels in the eyes of the law. That's why we have to be stricter than games where nothing can be traded.
🌍 Which countries are affected?
All of them. The rule doesn't depend on where you live.
Gambling laws are getting stricter in several of the countries our hotels serve. But rooms in Origins don't have borders: Habbos from all over the world stand around the same dice. One set of rules for you and another for the Habbo next to you wouldn't work, so the rule is the same for everyone, in every hotel.
❓ Why not just leave things as they are?
Doing nothing isn't an option. The other way out would be to remove trading, which is what many games do.
We won't do that. Trading is a big part of what makes Origins feel like Habbo, so the rules on games of chance get tighter instead.
🎮 Other games allow it. Why can't we?
Most of them don't. The biggest games where players build and host their own games ban gambling too, and some go further than we do: they ban raffles and casino-style games even when nothing of value is up for grabs.
If a game seems to allow it, it's usually against that game's rules too, or nothing in it can be traded, so its prizes have no real-world value. In Origins, your furni can be traded, and that's exactly why these rules apply here.
✅ What's still allowed?
- Skill games with prizes of value, as long as they're free to enter: races, mazes, quizzes and more.
- Contests decided by judging or voting, such as a room-building contest or a fashion show.
- Giveaways where luck doesn't decide who wins: everyone who takes part gets the same prize, or prizes go to the first players to arrive or sign up.
- Games of chance played just for fun, for bragging rights or a shout-out, as long as they're free to enter.
- Using dice to set up a game, such as picking teams, as long as no prize depends on the roll.
- Charging an entry fee for a skill game, as long as there are no prizes of value.
🚫 What isn't allowed?
- Games, raffles, lucky draws or giveaways where prizes of value are handed out wholly or mostly by chance, even when they're free to enter.
- Gambling or betting of any kind, including risking a prize to win a bigger one.
- Charging players to take part in a game of chance, even if there are no prizes.
- Charging players to take part in a game with prizes of value, including entrance fees, fast passes, paid extra lives or “pay to stay”.
Not sure about a game? Ask what decides the winner. If it's speed, knowledge, tactics or creativity, prizes are fine. If it's luck, keep it for fun.
🚦 Game Night furniture
We didn't want game rooms to go quiet, so we've been building something for exactly this change.
Game Night is a brand new set of furniture. Some pieces are new, and some give old favourites a new job. Each one swaps a roll of the dice for a moment of skill, so the result is in your hands.
Our aim is for the games you already know and love to change as little as possible. A game that used a dice roll can use the Stop Counter instead. A race to the fridge can use the Snack Fridge, where you pick what you grab. Most of the rules you know can stay the same. Only the luck comes out.
Stop Counter: counts 1 to 6 in order. Stop it on the number you want.
Inflatable Chairs: sit still on red, buzz on green. The strip shows who was fastest, who was slowest and who moved too soon.
Snack Fridge: snacks come round in order. Stop it to grab the one showing.
Traffic Lights and Start, Green and Red Pads: step on a Start Pad while the light is green to reach a free Green Pad. Too slow, and it's a Red Pad for you.
Game Night is available on Keystone only. If you haven't tried Keystone yet, it's open to everyone on Steam.
This is where Game Night starts, not where it ends. We want to build it with you, and keep improving it over time. Host your games with it, tell us what works and what doesn't, and tell us which games still need a piece. What you tell us will shape what we add and change next.
We'll share when Game Night arrives in the Hotel soon.
💬 Tell us what you need
Every piece of Game Night furniture will be in the Creative section of the Catalogue on Keystone, for free. Build your games with it, test them and change them as often as you like, without spending a credit.
If you host games, we want to hear from you before February. Which games do you run? What would a skill version need? Let us know on Discord.
See you in the Hotel!
Habbo Staff
