The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority has issued an enforcement notice requiring mobile game developers to display prominent loot box disclosure statements on Apple App Store and Google Play Store listings, with active monitoring set to begin on 26 May 2026.
The notice, published on 26 February 2026, applies to listings within the remit of the CAP Code that advertise mobile games containing loot boxes purchasable with real money or virtual currency obtainable only through purchase.
What Developers Must Do
The ASA is explicit on placement. Disclosure must appear where consumers will see it before downloading or purchasing a game, with the regulator recommending the top of the “About this game” section or equivalent. A phrase such as “contains loot boxes” or “includes random-item purchases” meets the standard.
Two common practices are identified as insufficient. Burying disclosure in lengthy descriptions that require scrolling will not comply. Relying on generic labels such as “offers in-app purchases” also falls short, as the ASA considers these unlikely to make clear that purchases may involve randomised item outcomes.
The notice has direct implications for game publishers and app store operators alike. Developers with existing listings on either platform will need to audit their descriptions and update them ahead of the May deadline.
Regulatory Context
The ASA’s action sits within a broader regulatory push on loot boxes in the UK. The enforcement notice instructs that it be read alongside the UK video games industry principles on paid loot boxes, published by trade body Ukie. Those principles were agreed by major publishers including Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, and Electronic Arts, and cover areas including age-gating, parental spending controls, and accessible spend information.
The UK government had previously called for voluntary industry action on loot boxes following a 2023 review that stopped short of classifying them as gambling. The ASA notice represents a harder line on disclosure obligations under advertising rules, independent of any gambling classification question.
Operators in the iGaming sector who also publish casual or social games with in-app purchase mechanics should review whether any of their titles fall within the notice’s scope. The CAP Code applies to app store listings as paid-for advertising placements, a point the ASA has consistently applied since its 2023 guidance on in-app advertising.
Enforcement Timeline
Monitoring begins 26 May 2026, three months from publication. The ASA has indicated targeted enforcement action will follow where non-compliance is identified. The regulator has not specified what sanctions may apply, but ASA enforcement options include referral to Trading Standards and reputational listings on its non-compliant advertisers register.
For publishers with large catalogues of titles containing randomised purchase mechanics, the three-month window is tight. Each listing on both the App Store and Google Play will require individual review.
The notice does not address web browser-based games or console storefronts outside the App Store and Google Play, leaving open the question of whether equivalent disclosure requirements will follow for other distribution channels.
For background on how the UK advertising and gambling regulatory framework intersects, see UKGC’s £18m in penalties during 2025 and Regulatory News & Legal coverage on The iGaming EU.
Source: Advertising Standards Authority
