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Gambling: Video Games

Asked by James McMurdockIndependentDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled Answered 23 January 2026UIN 106013

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent research her Department has conducted on the impact on children of gambling-based mechanics in video games which utilise microtransactions such as loot boxes.

Answered by Ian Murray

The Government is committed to ensuring games are enjoyed safely and responsibly by everyone and that, where they contain loot boxes, there are appropriate protections in place for players of all ages.

To improve those protections, industry-led guidance was published in 2023 with a 12-month implementation period after which DCMS commissioned independent academic research into its effectiveness. We will publish the research shortly, alongside our next steps.

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