[i]Central to the debate is whether loot boxes should be considered gambling and in that regard, the ESRB has maintained that's not the case, saying last year, "[b]While there's an element of chance in these mechanics, the player is [u]always guaranteed to receive in-game content[/u] (even if the player unfortunately receives something they don't want[/b])."[/i] Highlighted key points that I've stated before. Today the ESRB [url=https://esrbstorage.blob.core.windows.net/esrbcontent/about/news/downloads/igp-press-release-final-22718.pdf]has done another good thing[/url]. [i]The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) today announced that it will begin assigning a new “In-Game Purchases” label to physical (e.g., boxed) games[/i] This means they are putting the responsibility on knowing about the In-Game Purchasing on the parents where it should be. [i]Some may wonder why the ESRB isn't addressing loot boxes specifically, but ESRB President Patricia Vance told Ars Technica that it's because "[b]a large majority of parents don't know what a loot box is[/b]" and that parents' biggest concern is their children spending money in games, not necessarily how they're doing it.[/i] Educate parents first. This announcement doesn't change their view that it's not gambling either. Within the [url=https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/ESRB-response-to-Senator-Hassan_Vance-2-27-18.pdf]return letter to Senator Hassan[/url]: [i]As you referenced in your letter, there is some debate within the video game community about whether loot boxes constitute gambling. The ESRB has previously stated publicly that we do not consider loot boxes to be gambling for various reasons, nor am I aware of any legal authority in the United States that has classified loot boxes as gambling. In fact, the UK Gambling Commission recently determined that loot boxes do not constitute gambling.[/i] In the end if Parents are educated about this and pass that knowledge on to their kids AS WELL as being able to properly monitor them the part of the Gaming Industry that's pushing these types of transactions will have less people to take advantage of. About time the ESRB got something right IMO. This is not a loss for gamers. It's the proper step to deal with the issue of "Kids and loot boxes" long term while still allowing "responsible adults" to pay for things if they want to.