France’s health ministry plans a decree requiring games with monetisable digital items to display a warning about excessive or pathological gambling risks. The notice would appear in three parts of the user experience and, under the experimental measure, take effect within three months of publication in the Official Journal.
Game operators would face specific warning-display requirements for products containing monetisable digital items.
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The UK Advertising Standards Authority issued an enforcement notice requiring clear disclosure of loot boxes in mobile-game advertising and digital store listings. The ASA said active compliance monitoring will begin on 26 May, with possible enforcement against non-compliant businesses.
Austria’s Supreme Court rejected a player’s claim that loot boxes in a football-themed game constituted illegal gambling, according to a media report. The player sought to recover about €20,000 spent between October 2017 and October 2021; the court found the player had not shown that outcomes depended entirely or mostly on chance, the report said.
Amendments to Spain’s draft law on protecting minors in digital environments propose different restrictions on access to and activation of loot boxes, according to the report. Proposals range from an 18+ rating and age checks for games with in-game payments to parental authorisation or supervision. The bill’s Article 5 would prohibit minors from accessing or activating random reward mechanisms.
AMETIC has submitted amendments to Spain’s proposed child-protection law, asking lawmakers to reconsider restrictions on minors’ access to loot boxes, reportedly. The technology trade association argues that treating loot boxes as gambling and linking them to problematic behaviour lacks evidence. It also proposes limiting the law’s scope to smartphones rather than all internet-connected devices.
New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit against Valve Corporation, alleging that loot boxes in its video games constitute illegal gambling. Her office seeks to stop the features and recover profits and fines; the complaint argues that paid random rewards can be traded for money.