Loot Box Regulation in Australia

Classification and Gambling

Abstract

In September 2024 the Guidelines for the Classification of Computer Games 2023 comes into force allowing the Classification Board to rate digital games with loot boxes. This follows broad concerns in Australia and internationally of parallels between loot boxes and gambling and a range of perceived harms especially on children and young people. This paper argues that the Guidelines, although a first step, is limited in scope and focus, and further reforms are needed to adequately address predatory monitorisation in digital games. These include uniform probability disclosure for loot boxes, changes to the ratings to focus on predatory game structures and amendments to bring specific games directly under the online gambling regime.