The conversation around loot boxes and how they mimic games of chance to trigger players' dopamine centres has yet to be resolved. However, over time, the discussion has enlarged to encompass the use of these triggers in the gameplay itself to make the experience more addicting.

With many video games selling additional downloadable content, in-game skins for player characters and other deceptively named microtransactions, it has become more critical than ever to keep players coming back to play. The more time they spend in the game, the more opportunities software developers have to upsell them.

 New Report Raises a Red Flag

Concern for this global trend led safer gambling advocate GambleAware to commission a study into the blurring lines between gaming and gambling. The report explored the topic and its impact on players under the legal gambling age of 18.

The more than 7000 participants took part in focus groups and individual in-person and online interviews to gain a real sense of their “lived experiences” and the “realities of gambling and gambling-related harms” in their lives.

These sessions delved into how British youth are introduced to gambling, where they most often engage with it, and how they drew a line between gambling and non-gambling entertainment.

The Lines Are Far Too Blurred

The survey contends that due to the UK's entrenched land-based gambling (fruit machines and betting shops), most participants had played a game of chance, received a lottery ticket, or placed a bet with or at the behest of a parent or guardian.

Even if they weren't gambling themselves, going to the pub for lunch with the family in less affluent areas will mean that slot machines are standing open in public places, not in backrooms. This casual relationship with gambling by the adults normalised it in the eyes of the youth, making it a "natural" part of life.

Nicki Karet, Managing Director of Sherbert Research, said:

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“The grey area between online gambling and gambling-like gaming is confusing, especially for younger children, and blurs the lines between what is and isn’t gambling.”

Since gambling is seen as a real-world thing, the participants struggled to clearly define what qualified as casino content when they were online. When explaining their online activities, they said they were engaging with advertising and in-game mechanics that should qualify as gambling but, to them, were “just for fun.” What was concerning was that these activities were labelled as “satisfying and exciting” and as having provided an “adrenaline rush” that “alleviated their boredom”.

If these words were spoken by a compulsive gambler facing the reality of his actions, it could be the beginning of recovery. When spoken by under 18s, it acts as a trigger warning pointing to potential future problem gamblers.

 Should the UKGC Take Action?

In response to these results, GambleAware is calling on the Gambling Commission in the United Kingdom to begin the work necessary to draw a line between video games for youth and casino games for adults.

Zoë Osmond, CEO of GambleAware, said:

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“We need to see more restrictions put on gambling advertising and content to ensure it is not appearing in places where youth can see it.”

The recommendations they made include:

1. A ban on colourful characters and cartoonlike mascots.
2. Monitoring the sound effects used in TV and online ads that match children's programming.
3. Casinos to be more stringent on blocking younger players.
4. More public education on how gaming and gambling can overlap.
5. Creating a lexicon/vocabulary to give this education its own voice.
6. Opening more online and land-based help centres to reach a younger audience.
7. Trickle-down programs that educate parents and teachers, which they can carry home and to the classroom.
8. More counsellors are equipped to support youth and their families.

We applaud the call to action and believe every reasonable measure must be taken to protect at-risk groups. This is important for the individuals affected by gambling harms, and it ensures the industry can mature in the safest and most impactful way possible.