UK Doesn't Think Loot Boxes Are Gambling, But Thinks They're Something

Hey, where have we heard something that sounds like that headline before? Anyway, the loot box regulation saga continues apace over the weekend and now it's the UK Gambling Commission offering its two cents -- which wouldn't be nearly enough to buy a loot box in most games.

On the commission's site is a piece titled simply "Loot boxes within video games." It states that while loot boxes are probably not technically gambling, because you can't receive money for the bits you get out of them, they're still not safe from scrutiny:

Where a product does not meet that test to be classed as gambling but could potentially cause harm to children, parents will undoubtedly expect proper protections to be put in place by those that create, sell and regulate those products.

Exactly how long it will be until these "proper protections" are put into place in the UK (and elsewhere) is anyone's guess. But it's getting nearly impossible to believe that they won't come.