Loot Box Controversy is Being Discussed by Top Government Officials

The ongoing debate about loot boxes and whether they can be considered a form of gambling or not has now reached the ears of a U.K. lawmaker who's looking into the issue.

Within the U.K. Parliament, Daniel Zeichner, a Labour MP from Cambridge, is the lawmaker in questions who's now become interested in the consumer vs. business discussion of loot boxes possibly being a form of gambling. Zeichner directed two questions towards Karen Bradley, the U.K.'s secretary of state for digital, culture, media, and sport, hoping to learn about what plans Bradley had for the loot box controversy, if any.

Zeichner had two main questions that he asked, the first of which deals with the Isle of Man jurisdiction that has stricter regulations regarding gambling and in-game items. The second question builds off of the first, both of them found below:

1. To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she plans to take to help protect vulnerable adults and children from illegal gambling, in-game gambling and loot boxes within computer games.
2. To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment the Government has made of the effectiveness of the Isle of Man's enhanced protections against illegal and in-game gambling and loot boxes; and what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on adopting such protections in the UK

The concerns being raised about loot boxes at the Parliament level seem to be a result of a conversation between Zeichner and a concerned gamer who approached him with the issue. Redditor Artfunkel created a post on Oct. 13 that said they'd met with Zeichner and discussed the controversy with him, a meeting that resulted in Zeichner submitting the questions on the citizen's behalf.

Discussions centered around loot boxes may become even more pressing now that they've reached a top government level, but it'll likely still take some time before any meaningful decision is reached. In the meantime, players have already begun petitioning against the loot boxes to try and make a change either within the ESRB or the government.