The intersection of gambling and video gaming: Social casino games, loot boxes and eSports betting

Video games are a form of interactive, digital entertainment, which commonly do not involve betting real-world money on games of chance. However, driven by a desire to earn money through microtransaction and player trading, gambling/gambling-like activities have been added to video games and gained popularity among players. These popular gambling/gambling-like activities in video games include social casino games, loot boxes, and skin betting. Further, eSports betting, betting on organized video game competitions, has become increasingly popular among young adults. There is a growing concern that the murky nexus of gambling and video gaming could “prime” children to move from recreational video gaming to spending increasing amounts of money on gambling. Therefore, counselors and practitioners in the area of gambling need to be familiar with up-to-date information on this emerging issue.