A new BBC report says just two of the 45 top grossing games on the Google Play store are following loot box disclosure rules in their advertising.
The investigation singles out Monopoly Go as one of the offenders, accusing Scopely and Hasbro of not advertising their use of loot boxes in the game properly.
Game marketers are supposed to disclose the presence of loot boxes in their game advertisements, and failure to do so means the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority can remove the offending ads from circulation.
The ASA told the BBC: “This is an ongoing area of our work, and we’re closely monitoring the sector to discover the scale of compliance and act accordingly.”
Game regulation researcher Leon Y Xiao also told the BBC that the ASA is taking too long to enforce the rules, and when it does, game marketers simply ignore their demands.
“People are walking into a video game not knowing the potential risks, and this is assuming that people have even understood the risk of loot boxes to begin with,” he said.
The Young Gamers & Gamblers Education Trust chief executive Dr Jane Rigbye also called the findings “deeply concerning”.
“In the absence of robust regulation in gaming, it is essential for games to provide clear and transparent information about their features, allowing both parents and gamers to make informed decisions,” she said.