The world of video games has constantly evolved over the years. No longer do people just buy a game in a store and play it to their heart’s content until they beat the base game and move onto another title. These days, game developers will release regular updates to games, including new weapons, maps, and missions.
People will also often have the ability to buy in-game items, either directly from a store or through the likes of loot boxes that offer random prizes. There are some concerns that these loot boxes could be exposing young people to gambling as the results are randomized. This article will explore this topic in a bit more detail.
What are loot boxes?
A loot box is a way in which a player of a given video game can get their hands on certain items. While some people prefer to unlock certain rewards by playing the game and unlocking them in this manner, others like to spend either virtual currency or real money to open loot boxes and be in with a chance to randomly winning these items.
A loot box will usually contain an assortment of in-game items that have different levels of rarity. Naturally, the chance of you getting a rare item through a loot box is going to be a lot slimmer than getting a common type of item.
A loot box will usually contain an assortment of in-game items that have different levels of rarity
Some of the items in loot boxes are going to be purely aesthetic, such as weapon skins or avatar clothing items. However, other games will offer items that can have a real impact on the outcome of the game, such as certain types of weapons.
How gambling on loot boxes is like playing at Casinos without GamStop?
As the items that will come from a loot box are going to be randomized and have their own probabilities of coming out, this is seen by many people to be akin to gambling. A lot of experts have compared the mechanism of loot boxes to being akin to slot machines. This is because players have the chance to get a random prize which can often have a significant monetary value.
With certain games, there are secondary marketplaces where people will be able to sell in-game items for virtual money or real money. Therefore, they are able to earn a real return for this form of gambling, rather than everything being a more social way of gambling.
E-Sports Gambling and In-Game Items Used as Currency
Esports is a sector that is becoming more popular each and every year. The professional video games scene has been exploding in recent years, with some forecasts stating that it will rival traditional sports in the near future when it comes to reach and viewership. There are already esports events that get millions of viewers tuning into the streams.
A lot of online sports betting sites now offer extensive betting markets on esports events. This allows people to be to the outcomes of these games, as well as all sorts of other interesting markets for a given fixture.
The professional video games scene has been exploding in recent years, with some forecasts stating that it will rival traditional sports in the near future when it comes to reach and viewership.
There are even certain websites that allow people to place bets on esports matches by using in-game items as the stake. This means that they will place a certain type of weapon skin on the outcome of the match, with the skin having a predefined value. There are concerns about the trustworthiness of many of these sites, which are usually not reregulated and don’t have proper consumer protections in place.
Gambling in the UK and Non-GamStop Casinos
The unregulated online gambling sector is something that the UK authorities have concerns about in particular. This is because people with gambling problems can go outside of their reach and engage in gambling when they should be self-excluded. There will also be less consumer protection for gamblers.
However, people enjoy playing at non-GamStop casinos reliable platforms like casinonotongamstop.net, as they often get a greater level of freedom than those UKGC-licensed sites. The game libraries will often be bigger. There is a wider range of payment options, and there won’t really be restrictions on game features.
The UKGC has bans in place on many enjoyable game features, as well as not allowing gamblers to use credit cards to fund their gambling accounts. The UKGC is closely looking at loot boxes as part of its crackdown on unregulated forms of gambling. People in the sector will be watching closely for any changes that come in this regard in the coming years.
Are loot boxes the same as gambling?
There are arguments for and against this question. There are certain aspects of loot boxes that are relatable to gambling. The randomized element of the items that appear is certainly similar to the likes of slots.
Many loot boxes give you items that cannot be redeemed for real money
However, many loot boxes give you items that cannot be redeemed for real money, which means that there is not going to be a monetary incentive for opening up these boxes. For most forms of gambling, there is going to be a monetary incentive in place for engaging in the activity.
An ever-hanging scene
The world of esports is only going to get bigger, so the gambling authorities will be watching closely each and every development. This will allow them to make sure that they stay on top of any key changes and being in restrictions as they see fit. Loot boxes, in particular, will be a key area that all stakeholders in the industry will be watching closely in the coming years as they become more and more prevalent.
