Tasmanian MP Andrew Wilkie likens loot boxes to gambling.
Tasmanian MP Andrew Wilkie will soon introduce a bill to Parliament to ban the sale of in-game loot boxes, likening them to betting apps, to those under 18 years of age.
“We as a country accept that people over the age of 18 can gamble but let’s make that for adults and giving parents a warning,” Wilkie said in (a paywalled) conversation with the Daily Telegraph (via Kotaku).
Wilkie will introduce the Classification Amendment (Loot Boxes) Bill to the Australian Government’s lower house next month.
The MP says that loot boxes prepare children “for future gambling” and that any game that features the mechanic should be classified as an R18+ title. Moreover, Wilkie’s bill would require games with loot boxes to carry an advisory to their inclusion, joining similar advisories for drug use, coarse language and more.
“To allow very young children to pay cash for a randomised event that may or may not reward them that would meet any definition of gambling,” Wilkie said, discussing loot boxes as a gateway to gambling.
We’ll keep you informed as we learn more.
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