Video game companies are making hundreds of millions of pounds out of “gambling-like” features in games played by children and teenagers, it has been claimed.

Popular games such as FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT) are allowing players to purchase items, colloquially known as “loot boxes”, that give out random rewards.

These rewards often take the form of new characters, skills or weapons that give players an advantage over other competitors when playing online.

FUT’s maker, EA, is now making more than $800 million (£560 million) a year from transactions in its Ultimate Team franchises, which let players build their own sports teams to compete against each other in online leagues.

The FIFA version makes money through gamers buying packs of random players in the hope they contain world class talents such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi for their team.