https://www.techpowerup.com/269335/british-lawmakers-if-a-product-looks-like-gambling-and-feels-like-gambling-it-should-be-regulated
 
A U.K. House of Lords empowered committee called for video games with loot crates (aka loot boxes) to be classified as games of chance and "immediately" brought under the country's stringent gambling regulations under the Gambling Act 2005. "If a product looks like gambling and feels like gambling, it should be regulated as gambling," the committee says in its report, cited by the BBC. "The government must act immediately to bring loot boxes within the remit of gambling legislation and regulation," stated one of its members.

The report has sparked a debate in the U.K. about whether the Gambling Act 2005 is up to the task when dealing with contemporary and new forms of gambling, especially one with potentially billions of Pounds in market size. Lord Michael Grade, chair of the committee, in an interview with the BBC highlighted how several other countries already identify loot crates as a form of gambling as "they can see the dangers" which is teaching "kids to gamble." He argued that the Gambling Act can regulate video game loot crates without needing any legislation in the way of amendments.
 
Looks to me as though loot crates in games in the UK will probably be prohibited or the gaming companies will have to pay up and be regulated.

Hoggle
It will be interesting to see how the legal battle plays out fully and if the loss of loot crate money will move more games to single player as publishers no longer are focused on selling the chance at a random good item.

I gave up multiplayer years ago when I had to face up to the time commitment of adulting.  I just do not have the time to git gud to enjoy multiplayer experiences these days.  My personal preference is an increase to quality single player experiences, so , here's hoping.