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gambling-like features in online games

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Gambling-like features in online games

Did you know?

When children are online, they can see and engage in gambling in many different ways:

1. Watching people gamble

Hundreds of thousands of people around the world now watch people gamble on esports or casino games through live streaming sites such as Twitch, Kick, YouTube or TikTok

2. Playing simulated gambling games

A quarter of 12-17yr olds have played pretend or simulated online gambling games – like social casino games (cards, pokies or roulette) – that don’t require money to play.

3. Engaging in gambling or gambling-like features

40% of 12-17yr olds have played video games with gambling-like features such as loot boxes, card packs or gacha.

But is it really gambling?

Some features like loot boxes or gacha in video games mimic the look, sound and mechanics of gambling. Children are enticed to:

Exchange something of value

Like in-game currency or real money.

With an unknown outcome

Maybe it’s a powerful item, a rare skin, or a new level.

For a reward they want

Such as a loot box, gacha, or pack of cards.

That’s based on chance

The chance of getting a rare item in a loot box is often less than 1%.

Common ways to 'take a gamble' while online gaming

Check out our Common Types of Gambling Tool to find out how these different games or features work, how popular they are and why you might need to be concerned.

Opening Loot Boxes or Mystery Rewards

You pay real money (or in-game currency) for a random chance to get items that might give you an advantage or help enhance your game experience.

Social Casino Games

Games that simulate casino experiences without offering real money prizes.

Gacha Systems

A progression system where you collect characters or items through repeated random draws, based on Japanese ‘gachapon’ vending machines.

E-Sports Betting

Esports are professional video game competitions where players or teams compete for money and prizes. In Australia betting on esports is regulated as gambling

Skin Betting

Dedicated websites allow trading of virtual items (skins or weapons) gained when playing video games.

Some websites also allow people to use these items as currency (instead of money) to place bets on e-sports.

Fantasy Sports Gambling

Fantasy sports are online competitions where participants create virtual teams of real professional players, with team performance based on actual player statistics. These are regulated as gambling in Australia due to the money deposits required to compete.

Classification Changes

New rules from September 2024 require M ratings for games with paid loot boxes, but this only covers new games. Millions of existing games still have no age restrictions.

Our games checker also helps provide information on some popular games and the gambling features they include

What it means for your family

What new classifications for gambling-like content in video games mean for your family