In this commentary, the authors reviewed the Digital Child and Adolescent Act that was implemented in Brazil in September 2025. This law bans paid loot boxes in games that are designed for or likely to be played by minors.
The law targets harmful design features that underlie gambling and loot boxes (e.g., randomness and uncertain outcomes), instead of focusing on whether loot boxes meet the legal definition of gambling. It takes a public health and child-rights approach that prioritizes harm prevention. The law is enforced through administrative sanctions, including fines of up to 10% of a company’s revenue and suspension of services. It also restricts personalized advertising and algorithmic recommendation systems directed at minors. The law is timely given that adolescents are especially vulnerable to the potential harms of loot boxes. Brazil is the first major gaming market to explicitly ban paid randomized rewards for minors.
The Act provides a real-world experiment to evaluate whether restricting access to loot boxes reduces harm among youth. It is also an opportunity to see how the gaming industry adapts to the law. Findings can inform policy and regulations in Brazil, and in other countries.
