“Research has shown that loot boxes are psychologically similar to gambling and therefore better protection would help prevent future gambling-related harm,” the institution said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Games are a part of the daily lives of children and young people, and children are thought to be more vulnerable to the harm caused by it, both as a result of watching someone else play and their own participation.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“There are around 55,000 children suffering harm from gambling between the ages of 11 and 16 in the UK, according to the National Audit Office, with a further 85,000 at risk and we believe more needs to be done to prevent harm among children and young people.”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“We look forward to publishing the ‘Video Game Research Framework’ later this year, which we hope will guide and inform legislation to protect children and youth from harm related to gambling through video games,” concluded GambleAware.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The answer comes after Dame Rachel de Souza, the UK Children’s Commissioner, spoke out last week against loot boxes in video games, calling them “inappropriate” and calling for them to be included in the Gambling Act’s definition of gambling. UK betting site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n