UKGC Have Objections To Loot Boxes
The Children’s Commissioner for England, Anne Longfield has called for tighter regulations on loot box purchases and feels they are deemed as a form of gambling.
Gambling Legislation
In her report, Gaming the System, Longfield calls for loot boxes to be included in a gambling legislation. Money being spent on exploitive systems are been encourage by developers and publishers in their gameplay.
The commission spoke to children who have worries they may be developing a gambling habit, a fourteen year-old claims he “ never gets anything out of it.”
In her statement Longfield replied,
“Children have told us they worry they are gambling when they buy loot boxes and its clear some children are spending hundreds of pounds chasing their losses.
“ I want the Government to classify loot boxes in games like Fifa as a form of gambling.”
Introduce A spending Cap
She would also like to see a daily spending cap introduced to curb children spending excessively on in-game extras.
Loot boxes allow players to purchase additional players or equipment to enhance gameplay. This is seen as gambling as a player has no idea as to what they are purchasing. They are like lucky dips and players may continue purchasing and end up chasing their losses.
It’s not the first call to ban in-game purchases. In Belgium, loot boxes are banned in Fifa games after the Government classed them as a form gambling, appealing to younger children.
