Horse Armor
Minor DLC with no randomization involved. New items, equipment, abilities, etc.
It's Not Gambling, We Swear
Loot boxes with randomized contents, buyable with real money
Infinite Money Hole
No upper limit on in-game purchases
Changing The Game
Content with gameplay-altering effects, buyable with real money
Time Is Money
Game allows you to pay for speedy/instant access to things that can also be gotten through gameplay
Detailed Info
NBA 2K18 is built on a pay-to-win system, with lootboxes that give explicit player advantage. New players are only obtained via random drops, and you need to spend the game’s premium currency, literally called Virtual Currency, to upgrade players. A single point boost can cost thousands of VC.
NBA 2K18 has removed its lootboxes in Belgium, as they have been declared illegal gambling, and has tried to get its fans to harass the Belgian government to allow lootboxes in games.