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Italian rules also require age and content information on covered game products and sales pages. The PEGI descriptor Includes Paid Random Items identifies games containing paid random rewards. Italian enforcement has required prominent information about item probabilities in at least one major case, but the authorities reviewed here do not establish one statute that requires every game to publish exact odds.
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What Italian law says about loot boxes
The Italian Competition and Market Authority (Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato, or AGCM) described loot boxes in its 2020 Activision Blizzard bulletin as a type of in-game purchase that gives the player a random quantity of previously unknown game elements. Those elements can affect performance or be purely cosmetic.
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That definition does not itself make every loot box gambling. Instead, several legal regimes can apply at the same time:
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- Videogame classification rules govern age pictograms and thematic or purchasing descriptors.
- Consumer-protection rules govern whether price, randomness, probabilities and promotional claims are clear and fair.
- Gambling rules become relevant when a mechanic involves monetary winnings or a sufficiently close equivalent, such as redeemable or tradeable value.
Accordingly, “legal” is a fact-specific answer. The reviewed Italian materials identify no general prohibition on buying a random digital item with in-game currency or money, but a particular implementation can still create problems if it is misleading, aggressive, aimed improperly at children, or connected to cash-value gambling.
What labels must appear on an Italian game listing?
Italian videogame classification rules require age pictograms and thematic descriptors on covered physical products, digital products, and online promotion and sales. AGCM records PEGI classification as equivalent to AGCOM classification for this purpose, so a store page can use the familiar PEGI presentation while satisfying the Italian classification framework.
Age pictogram
The PEGI age number is the principal age recommendation shown with the game. It communicates the suitability assessment for the game as a whole; it is not an automatic legal declaration that every player below that number is committing an offence by playing or that every loot-box feature is restricted to adults.
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PEGI introduced the descriptor Includes Paid Random Items for games whose in-game purchases include random items such as loot boxes. This notice is separate from the age number and tells a parent or purchaser that payment can produce an uncertain reward.
Where the information should be visible
The classification information is intended for the places where a consumer encounters the product: packaging, digital storefronts and online promotion or sales pages. A hidden notice reachable only after several purchase screens does not provide the same practical transparency as a prominent label beside the price and purchase controls.
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| Information | What it tells the consumer | Italian relevance |
|---|---|---|
| PEGI age pictogram | Recommended minimum age for the game’s content | Required classification information on covered products and sales or promotional pages |
| Includes Paid Random Items | The game sells random rewards for payment | PEGI descriptor used for paid random in-game items |
| In-game-purchase notice | The game contains purchases, which may include virtual currency or items | Displayed with the game’s classification information |
| Probability information | The likelihood of receiving specified rewards | Strong transparency expectation in enforcement; not shown by the reviewed sources to be a universal statutory field for every game |
Do games in Italy have to disclose loot-box odds?
There is no universal odds-disclosure statute established by the authorities reviewed for this article. That does not mean odds can be concealed without risk. Italian consumer law can treat missing, unclear or contradictory material information as misleading, and AGCM enforcement has required specific probability disclosures.
What the Activision proceeding required
In the Activision Blizzard proceeding recorded in AGCM Bulletin 48/2020, the company committed to show the in-game-purchase pictogram and an Italian loot-box disclaimer prominently on Italian store pages. It also committed to provide information about the probabilities of obtaining specified items, both on the relevant store presentation and through related game sites.
The bulletin recorded these example figures:
- One item of Epic quality was included in approximately 18.5% of chests.
- One item of Legendary quality was included in approximately 7.5% of chests.
Those percentages are examples from that proceeding, not a rate imposed on all games or a statutory odds table that every publisher must copy. They also describe the probability formulation used for the chests at issue; a different game may define a “drop,” a guarantee, a pity timer or a bundle differently. A responsible disclosure should therefore explain what each percentage applies to, whether several items can appear in one opening and whether probabilities change after previous purchases.
What a clear disclosure should let you determine
Before paying, a consumer should be able to identify the real-money price, the fact that the outcome is random, the item pool or reward categories, and the probability attached to the relevant reward. If the purchase uses virtual currency, the exchange rate should make the euro cost understandable without forcing the buyer to perform several opaque conversions.
When can a loot box be treated as gambling?
Italian gambling provisions cited by the authorities focus on games with monetary winnings. Normattiva’s Article 7 rule requires advertising for games with monetary winnings to display the probability of winning. AGCOM explains that Article 9 of the 2018 Dignity Decree bans advertising, including indirect advertising, for gambling and games or bets with cash winnings.
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Those provisions do not automatically classify every random digital item as gambling. A box that grants a non-transferable cosmetic item normally presents a different issue from a product that can be sold for euros. The classification of a borderline system requires analysis of its actual operation, not just the word “loot box.”
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Factors that increase gambling risk
- Cash or redeemable value: the reward can be converted directly into money or withdrawn.
- Trading market: players can transfer the item to other users for money or valuable consideration.
- Entry consideration: the player pays for a chance rather than buying a known item.
- Prize structure: the system offers prizes whose value is external to ordinary game play.
- Bet-like mechanics: the presentation, progression and promotion resemble wagering or games of chance.
Cosmetic or performance rewards that cannot be redeemed or traded for cash may fall outside the cash-prize rules described above, but that conclusion is not a blanket safe harbour. Consumer-protection duties still apply, and the facts of a particular platform, marketplace and payment flow can change the analysis.
What age rating applies, and are loot boxes automatically 18+?
The PEGI age rating remains the primary age recommendation shown with the game, alongside purchase and paid-random-items descriptors. The presence of a loot box does not, by itself, create an automatic statutory 18+ rating for every title.
Parents should read the age number together with the descriptors. A game rated for younger players can still contain a paid-random-items notice, so the purchasing risk cannot be inferred from the age number alone. Conversely, an older age rating may reflect violence, language or other content rather than the payment mechanic.
Guidance for minors online
The European Commission’s 2025 guidance on protecting minors under the Digital Services Act, hosted by AGCOM, recommends additional safeguards around paid loot boxes and other virtual items with random or gambling-like outcomes. The guidance calls on platforms to:
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- ensure that minors are not exposed to paid loot boxes or comparable random virtual items;
- put separation or friction between entertainment content and the purchasing flow;
- show prices in the national currency rather than forcing children to reason through an opaque virtual-currency exchange;
- consider guardian review or consent for financial commitments; and
- support parental controls and spending limits.
These recommendations are not the same as a universal Italian 18+ prohibition. They are a benchmark for platform design and risk reduction, and they reinforce why a child-facing interface should not make a purchase feel like a free game action.
What consumer-protection rules prohibit
AGCM states: “A commercial practice is unfair where it falls short of standards of professional diligence and distorts, or is likely to distort, the economic behaviour of the average consumer.” The Authority describes misleading practices as information that is false, unclear or incomplete. Aggressive practices involve harassment, coercion or undue influence.
Applied to loot boxes, those rules can matter when a game:
- hides or minimizes the fact that an opening requires payment;
- uses a “free” label while requiring a purchase of currency or a paid bundle;
- fails to show material odds information that the seller claims to provide;
- displays a virtual-currency price without making the euro cost reasonably apparent;
- uses countdowns, repeated prompts or loss framing to pressure a child or vulnerable consumer; or
- presents a rare reward in a way that implies a materially higher chance than the disclosed probability.
Whether a practice is unlawful depends on the complete interface, marketing, audience and transaction. A disclaimer in a long terms-of-service document may not cure a prominent but contradictory sales message.
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The reviewed Italian authorities do not establish an automatic refund entitlement specifically for loot-box purchases. The result depends on the transaction facts and the platform’s contract and refund rules, including whether digital content was supplied immediately and what consent or waiver was recorded.
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A misleading or aggressive sales practice can support a consumer-protection complaint, but a complaint is not the same thing as an instant refund. The strongest case is one supported by contemporaneous evidence showing what the purchaser was told before paying.
Evidence to preserve
- Payment receipts, invoices and transaction IDs.
- Screenshots or screen recordings of the store page, price and purchase button.
- The displayed age rating and Includes Paid Random Items notice.
- Any probability table, reward-pool explanation or statement that an item was guaranteed.
- The account’s purchase history and the date and time of each opening.
- Messages, pop-ups or promotional wording that created urgency or described the item as free.
Practical complaint sequence
- Stop further purchases. Do not open additional boxes while the disputed presentation or odds may change.
- Request a remedy through the platform or publisher. State the transaction date, item, amount, account and the specific information that was missing, unclear or contradictory. Attach the preserved evidence.
- Ask for the applicable contractual explanation. If the request is refused, ask which digital-content and refund term was relied on and when it was presented.
- Consider an AGCM consumer-protection complaint. This is appropriate where the conduct appears misleading or aggressive, especially if the same interface affects many consumers.
- Keep the response record. Save acknowledgements, case numbers and the final decision. They may be needed for a payment dispute or further consumer advice.
How to assess a loot-box system before paying
The following checks turn the legal principles into a practical decision. They are especially important for a child’s account or a game using several currencies.
| Check | Lower-risk presentation | Warning sign |
|---|---|---|
| Reward value | Items stay inside the game and cannot be redeemed or traded for cash | Items can be sold, withdrawn or exchanged for money |
| Odds | Probabilities are visible before purchase and define the reward pool and guarantees | No odds, changing odds without notice or a percentage that cannot be interpreted |
| Labels | Age rating, in-game-purchase notice and paid-random-items descriptor are prominent | Labels appear only after payment or are separated from the purchase control |
| Price | Euro price is clear, including the cost of currency bundles and leftover balances | Several conversions obscure the amount charged |
| Controls | Parental approval, spending limits and purchase friction are available | One-click repeat purchases, no limit and child-directed prompts |
| Marketing | Descriptions explain randomness without promising a likely rare reward | “Free” claims, countdown pressure or messages implying a guaranteed outcome |
If the system involves cash value or a player marketplace, seek advice specific to that model rather than relying on the game’s age label. If the problem is presentation, document the page as it appeared before contacting support; interfaces and odds screens can change after an update.
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Italy does not appear to ban ordinary paid loot boxes across the board. A game should carry the applicable age and purchase descriptors, and PEGI’s Includes Paid Random Items notice is the clearest signal that paid random rewards are present. Exact odds are not established as a universal statutory requirement, but AGCM enforcement shows that prominent, usable probability information can be required in a specific case. Cash prizes, redemption and trading can move a system toward gambling rules, while unclear pricing, hidden randomness or pressure on minors can trigger consumer-protection concerns. Preserve evidence, use the platform complaint route first and contact AGCM when the conduct appears misleading or aggressive.
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