Irish Government Doesn't See Loot Boxes As Gambling, Won't Take Legal Action
Perhaps it's no surprise that a country synonymous with "luck" would give loot boxes the OK. That's the report from website Irish Legal News, which states that the government of Ireland won't be pursuing legal action against loot boxes, whose implementation it describes as "normal consumer law," and not gambling.
Those words come from David Stanton, minister of state in the Department of Justice, who seemed to narrowly define gambling as something that you could win money from. As such, loot boxes that only offer in-game items "are essentially a commercial or e-commerce activity." The DoJ, he said, "does not have a role to regulate game developers on how their games work nor, in the offering of in-game purchases."
This comes despite the recent statement from several European countries, Ireland included, that a committee of gambling regulators would "address the risks" of loot boxes in video games. As Stanton said, that declaration "does not have legal effect" but instead indicated that the countries involved are in discussion regarding the loot-boxes-as-gambling question. At least in Ireland, that discussion seems to be closed for the moment.
Related Articles
About the Author

Jason Winter is a veteran gaming journalist, he brings a wide range of experience to MMOBomb, including two years with Beckett Media where he served as the editor of the leading gaming magazine Massive Online Gamer. He has also written professionally for several gaming websites.
Read Next
Huge MapleStory 2 Head Start Update Includes New In-Game Event
MapleStory 2 kicks off its Head Start period today, welcoming anyone who purchased the Founder's Pack.
By QuintLyn Bowers - 4 years agoYou May Enjoy
Get a Look At Tarisland's SilverLit, The Airborne City, In A New Preview
We all float up here.
By Troy Blackburn - 1 week agoNew EVE Online Expansion, "Havoc," And Multiplayer FPS EVE Vanguard Unveiled During EVE Fanfest 2023
EVE Vanguard is a multiplayer FPS module that uses Unreal Engine 5.
By Matthew D'Onofrio - 1 day agoDeceit 2 Introduces New Demo Mode So You Can Invite Your Friends
There are, of course, some restrictions.
By Troy Blackburn - 4 days agoGet Your Dance On, Tower Of Fantasy Reveals Flame Simulacrum Fei Se
She’s more than just a dancer.
By QuintLyn Bowers - 1 week agoBlowfish's F2P Mecha-Space Game "Phantom Galaxies" Looks Neat...But Sadly It's NFT Based
To access Alpha, players need a specific NFT.
By QuintLyn Bowers - 5 days ago💣 Feature | Top 10 MMORPGs You Can Play On Steam
The best of the best MMORPG Games on Steam.
By Troy Blackburn - 1 week ago
Discussion (4)