‘Gotta catch em all!’ The Gaming/Gambling Dynamics of Pokémon TCG Pocket
Matthew Fitzpatrick a a University of Birmingham This non-peer-reviewed entry is published as part of the Critical Gambling Studies Blog . To cite this blog post: Fitzpatrick, M. (2025). ‘ Gotta catch em all!’ The Gaming/Gambling Dynamics of Pokémon TCG Pocket. Critical Gambling Studies Blog . https://doi.org/10.29173/cgs234 Introduction Loot boxes in video games have attracted the attention of public health scholars in recent years due to continuing controversy regarding potential connections to problem gambling and mental health risks – although the latter is contested, with studies reporting conflicting results (Armitage, 2021; Wardle & Zendle 2021; Spicer, 2021; Xiao, 2024; Villalba-García, 2025). Regulators have also been paying attention to the loot box controversy; in the UK, both the House of Lords and former Children’s Commissioner for England have recommended that the Gambling Act 2005 be amended to incorporate loot boxes into the UK definition of gaming (Chi...