The so-called “problem” with loot boxes in the UK has reached the higher part of the country, the Lords.
As a result of that, the Lords have concluded by the Gambling Act of 2005 that all games featuring loot boxes will be considered “games of chance.” The Lords issued that loot boxes follow the same regulations as gambling products.
The main purpose of this investigation was to look into newer forms of gambling, which mainly are used by children. It was urged to make every in-game purchase that relies on chance to be classified as a form of gambling.
The report adds on by saying: “There is academic research which proves that there is a connection, though not necessarily a causal link, between loot box spending and problem gambling.”
Because of the nature of this problem, the Lords said that this matter “requires more urgent attention,” and that in the future the purview will be changed so that loot boxes will be included.
The first to step in to help with the situation is the UKIE trade association, which pointed towards its campaign from earlier that year for educating the parents of these misdirected children, AKA the Get Smart About PLAY campaign.
The UKIE CEO Dr. Jo Twist OBE’s statement to this matter is the following: “The majority of people in the UK play video games in one form or another, so we take these concerns seriously. We’ve worked hard to increase the use of family controls on consoles which can turn off or limit spending and we will be working closely with the DCMS during its review of the Gambling Act later this year.”
There are other scenarios like this one similar to loot boxes as well. One of them is with the country’s National Health Service (NHS) in which they stated that loot boxes push gambling into the lives of young children.
The other of much more is with the Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS) Committee in which they asked for the removal of loot boxes from games intended for children, which was followed up with their results of an investigation on children about loot boxes and games of chance within video games.
Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport called for evidence from everyone involved whether or not loot boxes should be classified as gambling.
And all these scenarios happened within the last month!
