Booty boxes of video games reviewed by 16 gambling regulators

Gaming regulators from 16 agencies on Monday signed an agreement to combat "blurring lines between gambling and gambling".

The international coalition, made up of European agencies and the Washington State Games Commission, said it called the video game industry and technology platforms to fight against unauthorized third party sites offering illegal gambling.

The coalition also said that game providers must ensure that features such as loot boxes, which allow players to buy items in play to artificially increase their power level, are not considered laws. national.

"We are increasingly concerned about the risks of scrambling lines between games of chance and other forms of digital entertainment such as video games," said a statement from the UK-based Gambling Commission. "Concerns in this area have manifested themselves in controversies over skin wagering, loot boxes, social casino games and the use of gaming content in children's video games. . "

Others have also worked to combat the vagueness of the game and the game. State Rep. Chris Lee, a Democrat from Hawaii, last year called Star Wars Battlefront II of Electronic Arts' Star Wars-themed online casino, designed to entice kids to spend money on the game. ;money". He said that he was worried about this kind of situations could lead to online gambling addiction, and also took the problem with the loot boxes.

After launching a survey of safes at the beginning of the year, the Australian Environmental and Communications Committee said that "looters offer gaming companies an unregulated way

This type of refoulement could have an impact on the decisions of video game makers. Pete Hines, Bethesda's vice president of public relations and marketing, told Metro last week that Fallout 76 will not have any box of loot.

Neil McArthur, chief executive of the UK-based Gambling Commission, said the international coalition agencies are calling on video game companies to address concerns about the risks that games and some games may have on children.

"We encourage video game companies to work with their gaming regulatory authorities and take action now to address these concerns to ensure the protection of consumers, especially children," McArthur said.

Taking It to Extremes: Mix senseless situations – volcanic eruptions, nuclear collapses, 30-foot waves – with everyday technology. This is what happens.

CNET Magazine: Check out a sample of articles from CNET's kiosk edition.