One of big industry questions raised over the past couple of years has circled around the idea that the random nature of loot boxes, and the monetary way in which they're marketed and provide rewards, constitutes gambling. And if so, whether it needs special regulation and/or restrictions placed to avoid bringing youngsters up to speed with the ways of the casino.

Which if you ask Joe Pesci, doesn't end well if you owe money to Robert De Niro. Following a motion submitted by the Australian Greens on Wednesday, alongside the following statement from Australian Greens Video Games spokesperson Senator Jordon Steele-John,

“I have significant concerns about the adequacy of current consumer protection and regulatory frameworks for monetised game mechanics, particularly when we know they are accessible to children. An incredible number of popular big name titles incorporate these kinds of monetised game mechanics, not as a way of improving in-game experience, but as a way of simply prying more money off of their players. We know game developers hate them, we know players hate them because they have a negative impact on the game experience, and we know that they urgently need regulation."

The Senate has tasked the Environment and Communications References Committee to investigate the loot boxes in video games. With a report due back by September 17 of this year. Kotaku obtained the scope of the inquiry which is set to focus on:

The extent to which gaming micro-transactions for chance-based items, sometimes referred to as 'loot boxes', may be harmful, with particular reference to:

(a) whether the purchase of chance-based items, combined with the ability to monetise these items on third-party platforms, constitutes a form of gambling, and;
(b) the adequacy of the current consumer protection and regulatory framework for in-game micro transactions for chance-based items, including international comparisons, age requirements and disclosure of odds.

Both the federal government and the opposition support the inquiry. More as it breaks.