Misleading Omissions of Loot Box Presence Disclosures: Widespread Unfair Commercial Practices in Video Game Advertising on Social Media in Ireland and the EU

This study examines whether social media advertisements for video games containing loot boxes disclose their presence as required under EU consumer law, focusing on Ireland. Building on earlier audits in the UK and South Korea, the authors searched Meta's ad library for 372 games known to contain loot boxes, collecting up to 10 recent ads per game advertised in Ireland over the previous year. The analysis covered 1,417 ads from 147 games, using content analysis to check for general in-game purchase disclosures and specific disclosures of randomised-reward mechanics.

The findings point to widespread non-compliance. Of the ads examined, 86.3% failed to disclose in-game purchases generally, and 88.6% failed to disclose loot boxes specifically. Among the disclosures that did appear, roughly four in five were visually obscured and not reasonably prominent, often rendered in small, faint text against low-contrast backgrounds. Only five of 147 games visually prominently disclosed loot box presence in at least one advertisement, and just 34 of 1,417 ads (2.4%) fully complied with consumer law. Golf Clash was the only game consistently disclosing across all ten ads studied.

Because Meta's Digital Services Act reporting provided Irish reach and targeting data, the study could measure audience exposure as well as compliance. Non-compliant ads accounted for 98.9% of the reach recorded, meaning Irish consumers overwhelmingly encountered advertisements lacking required disclosures. The authors argue this undermines industry claims that only a small number of bad actors are responsible, and they call for more proactive and stringent enforcement of existing consumer protection law, noting that the research's sample reflects advertisements collected in early 2025 and that reach figures for the most recent ads were often very low.