Ever since their introduction, the mechanic has been under fire. “Are Loot Boxes gambling?” is the question people have been asking, and the House of Lords seems to believe they are.
The House of Lords has urged the UK Government to bring the Loot Box mechanic in gaming “within the remit of gambling legislation and regulation”. This follows on from a committee decision that chance-based monetisation should be regulated before a wider Gambling Act review occurs.
You can read the report here.
This information comes from a report by the House of Lords’ Select Committee on the Social and Economic Impact of the Gambling Industry. Bit of a mouthful, right? Well, this committee seems to think they know what is best for us and have made 66 recommendations on how the UK Government can protect people. Loot Boxes are mentioned in the seven highlighted recommendations which the committee believe should be acted on immediately.
“Many of the report’s recommendations do not need legislation, and all of them are regent if consumers are to be protected and lives saved.”
Committee on the Social and Economic Impact of the Gambling Industry
It seems a bit drastic, for the most part. The bit about saving lives, for example. However, Loot Boxes are just one avenue of the multifaceted report. This comes as no surprise given the situation. More people inside means more people playing games means more people buying loot boxes. Questions around the laws that govern them have been around for years. Battlefront 2’s Loot Box mechanic particularly drew heat from the public. This is despite Fifa Ultimate Team being a much more definitive Pay-To-Win Loot Box system.
Are Loot Boxes Gambling? What Do You Think?
“We echo the conclusions of the Children’s Commissioner’s report, that if a product looks like gambling and feels like gambling, it should be regulated as gambling.”
Committee on the Social and Economic Impact of the Gambling Industry
That seems fair enough to me, but what will it mean for Loot Boxes in the future? They aren’t going anywhere, given the fact that they make a shit-load of money… But will they have to be more transparent? More expensive due to taxes? Only time will tell.
UKIE has released a statement with suggestions that ‘paid random item’ is disclosed as a part of the PEGI’s rating system. However, with gambling being illegal under 18 for the most part… Will this increase the overall age rating of games despite their otherwise lack of adult content?
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