Honestly speaking, yes I do consider lootboxes as gambling.

What you need to consider is how a lootbox is programmed.
The work flow is usually that the publisher would require the developers to create the lootbox system, but have them make it easy to customize (usually with an outside tool). The publishers then (regularly) have an extra employee, and sometimes not even someone who was close to the original product handle the contents and (the part that makes it gambling) the probability that each time has to drop.

What is usually done is that you have a big banner item (so in SW BF2's case, let's take Luke) that will be given a probability of something ridiculously low (can be 0.01% or something). They then will add about 5 other 'good' items that are still sought after but not the big banner prize, each of these will have a low drop rate, and then finally you get the trash items, items that are usually easy to find ingame, but perhaps the lootbox would give you a bit more (quantity wise).Each of the items are given a probability and the drop rate is based on that. That's what makes it gambling in my eyes.

Another way of looking at it is if I tell you:

You pay me 10 euros to roll 2 dice that I have.
If you get double 6, you win 50 euros. (This is the awesome item, say Luke)
Get double of any number, and you get 20. (These are the good items that are still worth more than the initial payment)
Get anything else and you get a consolation prize that is 5 euros. (These are the trash items).

(I personally know this because before working for Hash Rush I used to work for a large Game publisher that unfortunately did this in pretty much all the games, quite glad to be out of that.)