{"id":77460,"date":"2025-05-05T21:29:11","date_gmt":"2025-05-05T21:29:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/77460\/"},"modified":"2025-05-05T21:29:11","modified_gmt":"2025-05-05T21:29:11","slug":"a-gaming-loot-box-loophole-let-me-gamble-aged-12","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/77460\/","title":{"rendered":"A Gaming ‘Loot Box’ Loophole Let Me ‘Gamble’ Aged 12"},"content":{"rendered":"

A staggering 85,000 children aged 11-17 in Britain are currently experiencing gambling harm, according to the Gambling Commission\u2019s 2024 Young People and Gambling Report.<\/a><\/p>\n

Two-thirds (66%) of 18-24-year-olds said they saw their first gambling advertising and content before they were of age (you have to be 18 or over to gamble in the UK).<\/p>\n

Speaking to HuffPost UK, Niks \u2013 now a member of the Lived Experience Council at GambleAware<\/a> \u2013 said he made his first introduction to \u201cbetting\u201d when he was 12 through online gaming. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt was extremely isolating,\u201d he told us, describing years of gambling harm that led to difficulties passing his GCSEs and, later, university exams. <\/p>\n

The gateway to gambling began, for Niks, with unregulated <\/a>\u201cloot boxes\u201d \u2013 a gaming mechanism in which gamers can open, say, \u201ca treasure box… for example, [for] \u00a32, and you can get a randomised [in-game] reward item that could have a value of … up to thousands of pounds\u201d.<\/p>\n

So why are kids able to access<\/a> these loot boxes, and what might their effects be in the long term?<\/p>\n

The government previously looked into placing loot boxes under the Gambling Act of 2005, but didn\u2019t do it<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 2019, the then Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee called for loot boxes <\/a>to be added to the Gambling Act of 2005<\/a>, which would mean they would not be available to children. <\/p>\n

In 2020, a House of Lords gambling harm committee<\/a> called for the same thing, but the previous government decided that new guidance developed by industry representatives would suffice instead.<\/p>\n

That new guidance, helmed by video games trade body Ukie, suggests using controls to stop under-18s from buying loot boxes without their parents\u2019 permission. This is meant to help gaming companies<\/a> \u201cself-regulate\u201d the use of loot boxes and is not legally enforceable. <\/p>\n

But Niks claimed that \u201cit doesn\u2019t work\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey don\u2019t do it. They still allow kids to gamble,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Loot boxes aren\u2019t typically considered a form of gambling because theoretically you can\u2019t transform the contents into real-world money.<\/p>\n

But Niks disagreed: \u201cThere are marketplaces where you can sell your virtual items and get cash back.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s how I, as a 12-year-old, was able to access all sorts of gambling online. It still exists now, and basically any child now can do it, like with their parents\u2019 credit card … they can easily get into gambling through video games, and nobody would know about it.\u201d <\/p>\n

HuffPost UK reached out to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport. A spokesperson told us: \u201cIt is essential that video games are enjoyed safely and responsibly with the appropriate protections in place for all players.\u201d<\/p>\n

They didn\u2019t mention whether loot boxes could become unavailable to children.<\/p>\n

In a 2022 call for evidence,<\/a> it was found that loot boxes had been linked to mental health, financial and gambling-related harms.<\/p>\n

For Niks, loot boxes opened a door to years of gambling harm<\/strong><\/p>\n

Niks stresses that he quit loot boxes at 13 \u2013 by then, his attention had been drawn to \u201chighly addictive betting\u201d through things like Esports.<\/p>\n

He used to see gambling ads all the time when watching online streams and Esports, he added, and a lot of his favourite gamers promoted gambling.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was still managing to get access to gambling because I could purchase in-game items [through my winnings],\u201d he explained. He could then sell these.<\/p>\n

Describing his childhood gambling harm as \u201cisolating\u201d, Niks added: \u201cWhen I went to school, I would just be on my phone all the time, I would be thinking about my next bet, or I would place bets.\u201d<\/p>\n

This meant he \u201cfailed\u201d his GSCEs. But his gambling \u201creally took off\u201d when he reached university and had access to student loans. <\/p>\n

\u201cI was spending basically all of my money on gambling,\u201d the student added \u2013 he noted that he lost 25kg in his first three months away from home due to not spending money on food.<\/p>\n

By the end of his second year, Niks said he managed to find support through the charity Breakeven<\/a>, which guided him to therapy and eventually residential rehabilitation.<\/p>\n

Now, he is in his final year of university and has not gambled for almost a year. He\u2019s set to graduate in a couple of months<\/p>\n

Children\u2019s gambling isn\u2019t easy to spot \u2013 the onus should be on regulators instead<\/strong><\/p>\n

I asked Niks if there were any signs parents should watch out for in kids, but he doesn\u2019t think that\u2019s the most useful approach. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere are no easy signs,\u201d he told me. In his case, he wasn\u2019t sleeping much, was constantly on his phone, and seemed anxious, but \u201cnobody would think that gambling\u201d was behind what some might see as typical teen behaviour. <\/p>\n

According to Algamus Recovery,<\/a> some common signs of gambling addiction in children include \u201clying about gambling, borrowing money from friends or family, and neglecting responsibilities like schoolwork or household chores\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe should focus on prevention rather than looking for signs because there are no signs really,\u201d Niks added. \u201cYou can\u2019t tell a parent there\u2019s a list of signs, and if you tick those boxes, your child might be gambling … there\u2019s no way to know.<\/p>\n

\u201cReally, it\u2019s more about pushing for more regulation and prevention.\u201d <\/p>\n

Those regulations and preventions shouldn\u2019t be limited to loot boxes \u2013 Niks described gambling advertising that he felt was targeted to young people and outright betting in games, too.<\/p>\n

But it wouldn\u2019t be a bad place to start.<\/p>\n

Help and support:<\/strong><\/p>\n