New report calls lootboxes a gambling polluter on today’s youth

Yet another organization has recognized the danger of loot boxes and called out the thin line between them and gambling.

Latest accusations come from the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) in U.K., calling loot boxes a „polluter on today’s youth“ in their report. And while „proper“ gambling websites like Betsafe Casino undergo strict regulations and often get banned by governments if they operate without a license, video game developers can basically exploit similar gambling mechanisms in their games by calling it „loot boxes“ without consequences. So far at least.

North America is currently focused on online gambling

Canada has yet to propose a legislation that would regulate the use of loot boxes, while in the neighboring States only Hawaii has address this issue by introducing a special legislation. But to be fair, loot boxes are not a simple concept, and they certainly require much more attention. Thing is, video games are skill-based, and the outcome of the game depends purely on players‘ abilities.

With that being said, having an element like loot box inside the game can’t be considered as gambling, because the outcome of the game is not linked to the content of loot box. Many of these boxes offer purely cosmetic items, and while mechanics of loot boxes may resemble gambling, and their presence in games certainly isn’t appropriate for younger gamers, it’s hard to ban them just because we don’t like the way they work. And while Europeans are literally banning loot boxes, North America is more focused on online gambling licenses and regulations which certainly needed some updating.

U.K. is yet another country to declare war on loot boxes

RSPH has high hopes of Boris Johnson and his new conservative majority, especially after their manifesto gave some indications it may address the current „analogue laws in a digital age“ when it comes to loot boxes. Basically, RSPH wants Johnson to classify loot boxes as a gambling activity, meaning they would be banned, prohibited, or come with age restrictions at least.

RSPH chief executive, Shirley Cramer, said: “Young people have told us that gambling and gambling-like activity are slowly but surely polluting hobbies and pastimes that have traditionally been beneficial to their well being. Today, the vast majority of young people take part regularly in video-gaming and no doubt many will receive video games as Christmas presents.”

Loot boxes are, ironically, more prevalent than ever

Large and influential publishers like Electronic Arts don’t like people classifying loot boxes as gambling, which is reasonable to expect, considering they are major sources of revenue for many companies from the video game industry. And despite people making fuss about this subject, loot boxes are apparently increasingly prevalent in video games, with as much as 70% of top rated games on Steam having some form of virtual bundles exchangeable for real money.

Interestingly enough, 10 years ago, loot boxes were almost unheard of in mainstream games. To pay for better item in a game you have already purchased would be outrageous. Times certainly change fast, don’t they?