According to a Reddit post on the r/army subreddit, the Pentagon installed a pricey Pokémon card loot box in mid-December. The vending machine, which promises rare collectibles, was placed inside the Pentagon’s main food court.
Thanks to a company called Lucky Box Vending, visitors can pay for a shot at gacha-style memorabilia. The machine dispenses everything from Pokémon and sports cards to jerseys, but the options are all randomized,.nf so it becomes more of a gambling game based on pure chance.
How a gacha machine ended up inside the Pentagon
According to Task & Purpose, a military journalism website, the Pentagon Loot Box machine was installed on Dec 23, 2025, as confirmed by Pentagon spokesperson Susan Gough. Lucky Box announced the installation in a Threads and Instagram post on Christmas Eve that was later deleted.
"A place built on legacy, leadership, and history—now experiencing the thrill of Lucky Box firsthand. This is a milestone moment for Lucky Box and we’re excited for this opportunity. Nostalgia. Pure Excitement,” the post read.
Gacha games and loot boxes are a common find in Japan and at anime conventions. They involve paying a certain amount of money for a spin at winning. For Lucky Box machines, this means picking out what you want, for example, a Pokémon card. However, you may end up with a $1 piece of cardboard you just paid $100-250 for, or you could end up with a card worth thousands.
These Lucky Box machines aren't new to the U.S.; they just typically appear in places like malls or casinos. The Pentagon machine, from photos posted on Reddit, featured an image of a mint first-edition Charizard card worth over $100K.
Curiously, after the story spread, Lucky Box removed any mention of the Pentagon from its social media accounts. Additionally, the location vanished from the company’s store locator on its website.
Reactions ranged from security fears to jokes
Photos of the machine surfaced on r/army and other military-related social media accounts. Reactions mixed disbelief with gallows humor, such as Redditor u/slingstone, who asked, "So sealed mystery packages are being delivered to the Pentagon regularly?"
Meanwhile, u/Dave_A480 wrote, "So the govt really has been overrun by people who want real life to be like a mafia movie…."
u/mmmtoasteee criticized the machine's placement in the Pentagon, saying, "Yeah, I saw that when they were quietly installed before the holidays. [Expletive] stupid and a waste of space. At least install one of those vending machines from Korea that have fresh bananas in a reusable banana-shaped and colored plastic container. That would be more useful."
Meanwhile, paranoia met Pokémon jokes. "I never thought I’d see the day where a LTC might seriously consider selling secrets for a chance at a Pikachu art rare from the Pentagon food court," wrote u/citizen-salty.
Still, some fixated on the food court itself. "Smack dab in the middle of the Pentagon Food court," u/mr_gene_parmesan_pi joked. "On the plus side, Five Guys finally opened!"
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