Media release

From: The Royal Society

Loot box gambling - Loot box spending is associated with problem gambling but not mental wellbeing

Loot boxes are becoming increasingly prominent in discussions about the effects of playing video games. From a research perspective though, our understanding of how spending money on them affects mental wellbeing and behaviour is limited. Here, we surveyed over 2,500 people from 51 countries on their spending habits and wellbeing, and found extremely strong evidence for a positive correlation between loot box spending and problem gambling. However, critically we also found no evidence for any relationship with mental wellbeing or psychological distress. Our results highlight an urgent need to understand what actually constitutes harm when considering loot box spending