Revenue In-game purchases In-game purchases The use of in-game purchases new rules which include banning is a popular monetisation model. loot boxes for children. It involves the sale of gameplay A key factor in deciding whether a extras like cosmetic items and gaming practice crosses the line emotes using in-game currency of what is and isn’t gambling and which can be bought for real presents a risk to people is whether money to add an additional in-game items acquired ‘via a revenue stream. game of chance’ can be considered In-game purchases have come money or money’s worth. In practical under scrutiny due to the risk of terms this means that where in-game player confusion about whether items obtained via loot boxes are they provide a competitive confined for use within the game advantage during gameplay and, and can’t be cashed out, they’re in some cases, due to a potential unlikely to be caught as a licensable overlap with gambling regulation. gambling activity. There is a lot of complexity in this Loot boxes area. Following an extensive call Loot boxes provide players with the for evidence, the government opportunity to pay to open a ‘box’ concluded in July 2022 that there and acquire an unknown quantity was no evidence of a causal and quality of in-game items for use relationship between loot boxes and within the game. The UK Gambling problem gambling and does not Commission (the Commission) has propose specifically covering them identified loot boxes as a potential in the planned replacement to the risk to children - some jurisdictions Gambling Act 2005. such as the Netherlands and Belgium The government did, however, have already regulated their use recommend that loot boxes and China has recently announced 62