Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of whether there is an association between video game loot boxes and problem gambling behaviours in young people.

Loot boxes in video games are not classed as gambling as individuals are unable to cash out their purchases as currency. However, we are aware of the challenges posed by the blurring of boundaries between gambling and video games and, where products do amount to unlicensed gambling, the Gambling Commission has shown that it will take swift action. The Gambling Commission’s annual Young People and Gambling survey monitors awareness and prevalence of purchasing loot boxes among secondary school pupils in Great Britain.

In 2020, the previous Government ran a call for evidence on loot boxes which found an association between purchasing loot boxes and problem gambling behaviours, although research has not established whether a causal link exists.

In response, DCMS convened a Technical Working Group of video game representatives which developed new industry-led guidance, published in July 2023, to improve player protections. The Government has urged all video games companies to adopt the guidance in full and have commissioned independent academic research to assess its effectiveness.