Virtual winnings in video games don’t count as betting in the UK. Regulators must recognise that children are being exposed to gambling

Piñata-style loot boxes in the video game Fortnite Epic Games

Epic Games, the creator of global hit video game Fortnite, announced last week that players would be able to see what is in loot boxes before they buy them. This follows growing criticism that loot boxes – virtual in-game purchases that contain random virtual prizes – amount to gambling. Are the criticisms right?

Psychologists agree that loot boxes share the structural features of gambling: real money can be exchanged for a reward that is apparently determined by chance. Loot boxes also produce the same results as gambling: repetitive behaviour which …