UK’s ASA issues enforcement notice on loot box transparency in ads and app store listings

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The UK’s Committee of Advertising Practices, a sister-organisation of the Advertising Standards Authority, has issued an Enforcement Notice over loot box transparency in ads and app store pages.

The regulator said that use of loot boxes in a game must be clearly and prominently displayed in ads and on App Store and Google Play store listings. The Enforcement Notice comes as the group claims it has seen a number of cases where the presence of loot boxes hasn’t been made clear on app store listings.

Publishers have been given three months to review and amend their advertising. From May 26th, 2026, the organisation will begin actively monitoring app store listings and will take targeted enforcement action if rules aren’t being followed.

It said wording such as “includes random-item purchases” or “contains loot boxes” are likely to be enough to be compliant with the rules. These need to be located in a prominent place and players “shouldn’t have to click, expand tabs or scroll through long descriptions to find this information”.

‘Material information’

PocketGamer.biz asked if the Enforcement Notice on App Store listings represented overreach. A spokesperson said this was based on previous ASA rulings which looked at whether ads made clear that games contain loot boxes. They stated that in guidance issued last year, it was established that app store listings fall within the scope of the organisation’s advertising codes.

“This is because the presence of loot boxes is considered ‘material information’ – information that the average person needs to take an informed transactional decision. The advertising rules state that ads mustn’t omit material information,” they said.

Asked why publishers, and not platform holders, were being targeted, a spokesperson said publishers are ultimately responsible for ensuring their ads follow the rules. It has previously been ruled that built-in disclosure labels that indicate when a game includes in-app purchases are insufficient for loot box use.

“Both Apple and Google will have been made aware of our previous investigations, and we will also be making them aware of our Enforcement Notice,” they said.

CAP compliance executive Joseph Cahill commented: “People should be able to enjoy games safe in the knowledge that before they download them, they were given the information they needed, upfront, about the kinds of in-game purchases they can expect to see.

“This Enforcement Notice sends a clear message to the industry: if a game contains loot boxes, this must be made clear to players before they download or buy it. Where advertisers fail to meet those standards, we won’t hesitate to take action.”

You can view the Enforcement Notice below.