A 2025 survey of Norwegian adolescents conducted by the University of Bergen finds a link between video games and gambling. Purchasing loot boxes and skins betting appears to familiarize adolescents with chance-based rewards. It blurs the lines between gaming and gambling, which raises concerns about the influence on young people.
The impact of gaming monetization
Nearly 28% of the 9,000 adolescents aged 12 to 17 who participated in the survey bought loot boxes. Almost 30% bought skins and 15.5% engaged in skins betting within the past year. Among these groups, the rates of computer gaming and gambling problems were higher. Findings like these have already been observed by the country’s state-run gaming company, Norsk Tipping.
Gamblers in most countries have to be over a certain age to gamble. Those who gamble at an online gambling site in a US state can usually only do so when they reach 18, and in some states, they must be 21. The age limit isn’t just arbitrary but is based on responsible gambling practices. Online casinos also use systems to monitor player activity so they can identify potential signs of problem gambling and provide the necessary interventions.
Other risk factors
The researchers also found that gaming-related purchases correlated with other risk factors. One of the risk factors was drinking alcohol and energy drinks. Others were a lack of parental supervision and bullying. Lifestyle factors such as poor health, low life satisfaction, and weak family relationships were also seen as risk factors.
Young people are particularly vulnerable because they are still developing their personal and emotional skills. Exposing them to adult activities like gambling could interfere with their development.
Blurring the lines between entertainment and gambling
Players often use popular gaming consoles to play video games, and loot boxes allow them to purchase random in-game items. They’re taking a chance when purchasing them because they don’t know what they will get in them. Skins are items that change the appearance of avatars or equipment and are often worth thousands of dollars.
The concern is that loot boxes and skins blur the lines between entertainment and gambling. Some feel that by simulating gambling, adolescents gain a distorted sense of odds and risk. The fears are that this can result in problem behavior when they’re involved in actual gambling.
While the number of adolescents who gamble has actually decreased over time, the risk of addiction among those who gamble has increased.
The study shows that males are far more involved in loot box purchases than females and are also much more involved in skin betting in comparison to them.
Earlier longitudinal study inconclusive
The conclusions from a 2018 longitudinal study conducted by researchers at the same university were that problem gaming was a predictor of future gambling problems. However, gambling didn’t predict gaming issues. This study didn’t distinguish between game genres, which is a limitation, as some include gambling-like mechanics and others don’t. The average age of those involved in this study was 48, which researchers acknowledge could have meant effects on youth were overstated.
The 2025 study specifically targeted adolescents and the impact of gaming monetization, which has become more common over the past decade. Some of the top video games right now use monetization. The data from the latter study is more specific and finds that young people exposed to in-game purchasing systems in gaming are more likely to develop gambling problems.
More oversight
Norway’s gaming authority argues that when games include gambling mechanisms, it exposes young people to addictive behaviors long before they even reach the age when they can gamble legally.
The findings from the recent survey indicate that stricter regulation may be necessary. The European Parliament did vote in favor of stricter oversight of games with gambling mechanisms, but despite the vote, regulatory responsibility still falls on individual countries, and there is no EU-wide ban.
