APG holds fifth session of its inquiry into public health approaches to tackling gambling-related harms

On Monday (3 April) the Northern Ireland All Party Group (APG) on Reducing Harm Related to Gambling met for the fifth oral evidence session of its inquiry into public health approaches to tackling gambling-related harms. The group heard evidence from Leon Xiao of the IT University of Copenhagen and Laura Henderson.

Mr Xiao offered a comparison between loot box regulation in Belgium, China & UK. He emphasised that "self-regulation does not have the same teeth as the law" and that self-regulation needs to be treated with "some skepticism".

Ms Henderson highlighted to APG members that the use of 'embedded-isolated' loot boxes does not fall within the UK's definition of gambling, as 'embedded-isolated' loot boxes generate randomized rewards e.g. advantage in gameplay, which can only be used in the game & cannot be converted into real-life money.

Members also heard briefly from Professor Sarah Mills of Loughborough University, who highlighted that the use of loot boxes exposes children and young people to gambling and normalises it.

The APG will next meet on 24 April, virtually. Members will hear from Professor Henrietta Bowden-Jones OBE, a world-renowned expert on gambling-related harm. She is current Vice President of the Royal Society of Medicine, and was appointed as the UK’s first National Clinical Advisor on Gambling Harms in 2022.

To watch Monday's session in full, click here.