DCMS Committee Chair said: “We know that gamblers take their chances in
a world increasingly dominated by online, pitting themselves
against sophisticated algorithms and increasingly, artificial
intelligence.
“The Government has an opportunity to re-balance these odds. We
want to see greater transparency in how algorithms are used in
marketing to promote gambling, we need fairness in bet exchanges.
Crucially, robust age-verification must be brought in to keep
children off age-restricted platforms and games.
“The predecessor DCMS Committee called for loot boxes to be
regulated under the Gambling Act – we wait to see how Ministers
intend to curb the menace they pose.”
ENDS
The predecessor DCMS Committee published its
report
into Immersive and Addictive Technologies in September 2019. The
inquiry considered how games companies operate across a range of
social media platforms and other technologies, generating vast
amounts of user data and operating business models that maximise
player engagement in a lucrative and growing global industry. Key
findings included:
- Sale of loot boxes to children should be banned
- Government should regulate ‘loot boxes’ under the Gambling
Act
- Games industry must face up to responsibilities to protect
players from potential harms
- Industry levy to support independent research on long-term
effects of gaming
- Concern at lack of effective system to keep children off
age-restricted platforms and games
The Government’s Response to the DCMS Committee’s Immersive and
Addictive Technologies Report is here
(published June 2020).
