Research reveals striking resemblances between in-game purchases and gambling, with 1.4% of minor players already reported as being addicted.
In the digital age, the world of video games has become a significant part of many children and young people's lives. However, a recent study conducted by the Institute of Educational Sciences at the University of Graz, titled "Insert Coin to Continue," has raised concerns about the impact of in-game purchases, particularly loot boxes, on this demographic.
The study surveyed 2610 students aged 10 to 19 in Austria and found that around 55% of them have made in-game purchases. On average, the total expenditure per child amounted to 1,022 euros. Moreover, the study revealed that 1.4% of the surveyed students exhibited signs of a gambling disorder, and nearly 0.9% showed signs of a gaming disorder.
One critical aspect of the study is the focus on loot boxes, which have already been classified as gambling in Austrian court rulings. These digital items, often bought as consolation after defeats in the video game or as a reward for victories, have been found to encourage a "chasing behavior" similar to gambling. This behavior is characterized by players wanting to force high wins, especially after a series of losses, to make up for them.
In Austria, loot boxes fall under various laws including the Gambling Act, Consumer Protection Act, and the Unfair Competition Act (UWG), which govern lotteries, raffles, and contests. While these laws allow prize draws connected to purchases, they prohibit unfair practices such as artificially inflating prices to offset raffle costs. Austria does not have specific loot box legislation, but existing laws can apply to their marketing and operation.
Germany, on the other hand, has a somewhat different approach. German criminal law criminalizes match-fixing and bribery in traditional sports, but the applicability of these laws to esports and loot boxes is limited. Loot boxes are not formally classified as gambling by German authorities, but the existing gambling laws could potentially apply if loot boxes meet established gambling criteria.
At the EU level, there is no direct, harmonized legislation regulating loot boxes. Many EU member states, including Austria and Germany, currently assess loot boxes under their national gambling and consumer protection laws, relying on whether loot boxes meet key gambling criteria such as offering monetary value or tradability outside the game. The EU focus is on consumer protection, transparency, and preventing gambling behaviors in minors.
However, studies demonstrating links between loot box use and problematic gambling behavior, particularly among children and young people, have increased calls for regulatory action. Some countries outside the EU have moved toward stricter classification of loot boxes as gambling and have introduced measures like mandated warnings and age restrictions.
As of mid-2025, Austria and Germany regulate loot boxes primarily through existing gambling and consumer protection laws, but do not have fully dedicated loot box regulations per se; the EU as a whole has not enacted a unified regulatory framework targeting loot boxes, although scrutiny is increasing following studies linking in-game purchases to gambling-like behavior in children and youth. The focus remains on monitoring, self-regulation, and incremental legislative discussions.
In conclusion, while Austria and Germany currently regulate loot boxes indirectly through existing gambling and consumer laws without specific new legislation, and the EU lacks unified loot box regulation following current evidence of gambling-related harms in youth, regulatory attention and calls for more concrete legislation are increasing. The future of loot box regulations in these regions remains to be seen, but it is clear that the issue is of growing concern.
- The analysis of online casinos in Germany should include a discussion on the relationship between loot boxes, gaming, and finance, considering the potential for loot boxes to foster problematic gambling behavior, as demonstrated by several studies.
- The intersection of technology and lifestyle often raises questions about the impact of digital content, such as loot boxes, on education and self-development, especially in light of concerns over the development of gambling-like behaviors among young people.
- In the realm of entertainment, the study of sports in the digital age needs to go beyond traditional sporting competitions to examine the impact of online gaming elements, like loot boxes, on sports culture, particularly in relation to the financing and regulation of these online gaming platforms.
