This makes it similar to the infamous Magic: The Gathering card "Black Lotus", a card that was retroactively banned for its lack of balance, but repeatedly referenced since then by later, more measured counterparts.
This card's effect is one of the four effects of Forbidden cards emulated by "Fuh-Rin-Ka-Zan" (though it was not yet Forbidden at the time of the card's release) and "Pot of The Forbidden".
This card is one of many Forbidden cards whose status is referenced in the artwork of other cards, sometimes alongside other Forbidden cards; for example, its appearance in the artwork of "Mistaken Arrest" depicts it as contraband, which leads to the arrest of "Sangan", the red fiend from "Delinquent Duo" and the angel from "Graceful Charity" when the pot is found inside the cab the fiend was driving.
According to the Master Guide, someone can put their hand inside the "Pot of Greed" and find something that will delight them, but the pot will explode once they take their hand out.
This card was used frequently in the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime and was frequently used in the first two seasons of the Yu-Gi-Oh! GX anime, when it was used by nearly every main protagonist and antagonist until its last usage in Yu-Gi-Oh! GX episode 104104: "Future Changes". It was during March of 2006 that this card was Forbidden in the OCG and it has remained Forbidden since.