Washington State to add new legal game
Washington State authorities are assessing whether loot box should be considered legal gaming or not.
US.- As eSports and online gaming platforms continue to update the way players participate in the legal betting market, authorities are to discuss what trends should be considered gaming and, therefore, which must comply with current or new legislation. That is the case for loot boxes, which could soon be approved in Washington State.
The government of Washington is evaluating whether loot boxes, a game mechanic used in virtual games, could be included in current gaming laws as a form of betting. However, the Washington State Democratic senator for Orcas Island, Kevin Ranker, has presented a proposal to regulate the sector in its entirety.
According to the state senator, loot boxes must be regulated by the state as: “it is unacceptable to be targeting our children with predatory gambling masked in a game with dancing bunnies or something.”
The bill aims to establish the exact definition of loot boxes as a gaming mode; legislation would then determine whether loot box mechanics constitute gambling under the state’s current law and whether such things should be present in apps and games. Furthermore, the law would establish whether minors should have access to games and apps that contain loot boxes and related features.
