US Senator Proposes Legislation to Ban Loot Boxes and “Pay to Win” Features in Video Games

Sen. Josh Hawley, a Republican representing Missouri, has proposed for legislation to ban “pay to win” practices and “loot boxes” from video games.

“When a game is designed for kids, game developers shouldn’t be allowed to monetize addiction. And when kids play games designed for adults, they should be walled off from compulsive microtransactions,” Josh Hawley said.

Hawley called out the use of “loot boxes” a collection of random rewards players earn in free and paid games. “The boxes combine addictive properties of pay-to-win with the compulsive behavior inherent in other forms of gambling,” Hawley said.

“We look forward to sharing with the senator the tools and information the industry already provides that keeps the control of in-game spending in parents’ hands. Parents already have the ability to limit or prohibit in-game purchases with easy to use parental controls,” Stanley Pierre-Louis, CEO of the Entertainment Software Association said.