NHS England is urging gaming companies to take action against gambling addiction by removing 'loot boxes' from their products.
There have been growing concerns regarding children playing video games that involve spending considerable sums of money on ‘loot boxes’, which are collections of in-game purchases and other add-ons. Moreover, children often spend the money without the knowledge or consent of their parents. These loot boxes are not regulated by the Gambling Commission owing to a loophole which does not classify it as gambling as the contents of the loot boxes cannot be monetised officially.
Latest statistics from the Gambling Commission indicate that 55,000 children have a gambling problem. Over half of the parents in the UK allow their children to play video games which are not suitable for minors, unsupervised or having played themselves.
The NHS has called on gaming companies to implement the following measures:
- Ban sales of games with loot boxes.
- Establish fair and realistic spending limits within the games.
- Inform users the percentage chance of obtaining the required items before they purchase loot boxes.
- Increase the awareness of parents regarding the risks of in-game spending.
NHS Mental Health Director, Claire Murdoch, said: "Frankly no company should be setting kids up for addiction by teaching them to gamble on the content of these loot boxes. No firm should sell to children loot box games with this element of chance, so yes those sales should end."
