With sports betting in Atlantic City and the rest of NJ now legalized, we’re seeing increasing regulation and legislation of all kinds of gaming. Now, that may extend to the video game industry.
Many video game platforms offer loot boxes and pay-to-win microtransactions; features that have long been controversial, in the United States and abroad.
Congress may soon take action against loot boxes, with Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) announcing “The Protecting Children from Abusive Games Act.” What might this legislation mean for gamers?
The bill has received criticism from the gaming industry. The Entertainment Software Association, a lobbyist group for the video game industry, issued a statement saying they plan on “sharing with the senator the tools and information the industry already provides that keeps the control of in-game spending in parents’ hands.”
For now, the bill has gained bipartisan co-sponsorship from Senators Ed Markey (D-MA) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT). The next step is congressional committees, which would be followed by votes in both houses of Congress and then presidential approval before being passed as a law.
For help with problem gaming or any form of problem gambling, including sports betting in AC, call CCGNJ’s helpline, 800-GAMBLER.
Sources
https://kotaku.com/u-s-senator-introduces-bill-to-ban-loot-boxes-and-pay-1834612226
https://kotaku.com/you-can-now-read-the-proposed-senate-bill-that-would-ba-1834983260
https://www.hawley.senate.gov/sites/default/files/2019-05/Loot-Box-Bill-Text.pdf
https://techraptor.net/content/loot-box-ban-bill-protecting-children-from-abusive-games-act