{"value":{"id":1871925,"askingMemberId":1593,"askingMember":null,"house":"Commons","memberHasInterest":false,"dateTabled":"2026-01-15T00:00:00","dateForAnswer":"2026-01-19T00:00:00","uin":"106097","questionText":"To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what comparative assessment her Department has made of (a) loot boxes in video games and (b) gambling products; and what steps she is taking to mitigate potential harms associated with loot box mechanics, particularly for children and young people.","answeringBodyId":217,"answeringBodyName":"Department for Culture, Media and Sport","isWithdrawn":false,"isNamedDay":false,"groupedQuestions":[],"answerIsHolding":false,"answerIsCorrection":false,"answeringMemberId":3966,"answeringMember":null,"correctingMemberId":null,"correctingMember":null,"dateAnswered":"2026-01-23T00:00:00","answerText":"<p>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.</p><p> </p><p>Prizes that can be won via loot boxes do not have a monetary value, cannot be cashed-out, and are of value only within the context of the game. They are therefore not legally classified as gambling. However, evidence has shown an association between loot boxes and gambling-related harm.</p><p> </p><p>To improve protections in games containing loot boxes, 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.</p><p> </p>","originalAnswerText":"","comparableAnswerText":"","dateAnswerCorrected":null,"dateHoldingAnswer":null,"attachmentCount":0,"heading":"Gambling and Video Games: Children and Young People","attachments":[],"groupedQuestionsDates":[]},"links":[{"rel":"self","href":"/Questions/1871925","method":"GET"}]}