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

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had or plan to have with Apple regarding measures to prevent gambling advertisements in video game applications aimed at children and young people.

This Government recognises that gambling advertising can have a disproportionate impact on particular groups, such as children and vulnerable people. This is why there are robust rules on content, tone and placement enforced by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). Gambling operators must ensure that their advertising is not targeted at children and must not appear in media created for children or for which children make up 25% or more of the audience, including video games. Operators must also ensure that they take all reasonable steps to use data available to exclude individuals on the basis of their age or other relevant criteria. Compliance with these rules is required as part of the Gambling Commission’s Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP). The ASA continues to closely monitor and enforce compliance but, if needed, can refer gambling operators’ advertising to the Gambling Commission which can and does take action.

The Department has not had any recent conversations with Apple regarding gambling advertising. However, we recognise that more can be done to improve protections. We have set the gambling industry a clear task to raise standards and this work will be monitored closely.

We are committed to ensuring video games are enjoyed safely and responsibly by everyone and that, where they contain loot boxes, appropriate protections are in place for players of all ages, including children. 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, including making the purchase of loot boxes unavailable to children unless enabled by a parent or guardian. The Government has urged all video games companies to adopt the guidance in full and we have commissioned independent academic research to assess its effectiveness.