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

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further (1) to the report by the Select Committee on the Social and Economic Impact of the Gambling Industry Gambling Harm—Time for Action, published on 2 July 2020 (HL Paper 79), and (2) to the letter to that Committee from the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Sport, Tourism and Heritage on 21 December, whether (a) secondary, or (b) primary, legislation would be required to bring loot boxes within scope of gambling regulation by defining their contents as money or money’s worth.

The government remains committed to delivering on its manifesto pledges and ensuring young and vulnerable people are protected from harm. Our bespoke call for evidence on whether loot boxes cause harm and, if so, the nature of the harm, closed in November and received more than 30,000 responses (including individual responses to the survey of players’ experiences). We will publish a government response and next steps in the coming months, including implementation details for any changes proposed.