Italy vs Activision Blizzard: What the AGCM Probe Means for Pokies, Loot Boxes and Mobile Slots

Italy vs Activision Blizzard: why slot operators and mobile-pokie teams should care now

If you build, run or promote slots, mobile pokies or gambling-style mechanics, the AGCM probe into Activision Blizzard’s Diablo Immortal and Call of Duty Mobile is a red flag you can’t afford to ignore. Operators face a rising tide of consumer-protection scrutiny across Europe in 2026 — and the line between in-game purchases and regulated gambling is getting sharper. This article breaks down the Italian investigation, explains what it means for loot boxes and randomized rewards, and delivers clear, actionable compliance and product strategies for iGaming teams and mobile developers.

The AGCM probe in brief (what happened, and why it matters)

In early January 2026 Italy’s competition and consumer-protection authority, the Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato (AGCM), launched two formal investigations into Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard over alleged "misleading and aggressive" monetization tactics in Diablo Immortal and Call of Duty Mobile. The regulator flagged UI/UX elements that encourage extended play and spur purchases, unclear virtual-currency pricing and bundled sales that mask real cost — and raised concerns about influence on minors.

"These practices ... may influence players as consumers — including minors — leading them to spend significant amounts, sometimes exceeding what is necessary to progress in the game and without being fully aware of the expenditure involved." — AGCM press release, Jan 2026

Why this is relevant to the iGaming and slot community: the AGCM probe is not just about big-name mobile titles. It’s focused on product mechanics and disclosure practices that are structurally similar to what many modern slots and mobile pokies do: randomized rewards, virtual currencies sold in opaque bundles, time-limited offers to create urgency, and interfaces designed to nudge spending. Regulators are increasingly looking past brand and platform and straight at the mechanics.

Regulatory context: the 2024–2026 acceleration

Regulators have been circling loot boxes and gambling-like mechanics for years. Several EU members previously took hard stances, and since late 2025—carried into early 2026—consumer-protection authorities have accelerated investigations that focus on dark patterns, undisclosed odds, and marketing aimed at underage audiences. Two trends to note:

• Consumer protection enforcement — authorities are using consumer law and unfair commercial practices frameworks (not only gambling law) to target misleading monetization.
• Cross-sector scrutiny — regulators are willing to treat in-game purchase mechanics the same way they treat online gambling when the user experience mimics wagering.

That means even operators without a gambling license can be subject to fines, mandated product changes, or advertising restrictions if their mechanics are deemed deceptive or harmful.

What mechanics are being scrutinized — and why slot teams should pay attention

AGCM’s concerns map directly onto several common slot/pokie features. Below are the mechanics under the microscope and the regulatory rationale.

Loot boxes and randomized rewards

Why it matters: Randomized item purchases are structurally like games of chance. Where there’s randomness plus payment, regulators ask whether gambling rules should apply. Even when operators argue items are cosmetic, the classification challenge remains.

Virtual currency bundles and opaque pricing

Bundling virtual currency and naming credits rather than showing a clear fiat equivalent can obscure spending. Regulators say consumers must understand the real-world cost to make informed decisions — start by exposing fiat-equivalent prices at point of sale.

Urgency mechanics and time-limited offers

Countdown timers, fear-of-missing-out messaging and artificially gated progression create pressure to spend now. AGCM labels some of those as "aggressive" sales techniques, especially when children can be influenced.

Dark-pattern UI/UX that nudges purchases

Design choices that intentionally hide purchase friction or make exits difficult are increasingly viewed as unfair commercial practices. Replacing dark flows with clear consent UIs and a robust age and identity verification posture reduces regulatory exposure.

Targeted advertising to minors

Showing monetization offers or gambling-like mechanics in contexts where minors are likely to engage is a fast route to regulatory action.

Immediate ripple effects for slot operators and mobile monetization

The AGCM action will create near-term consequences across Europe and beyond. Expect:

• Faster audits of app stores and in-game monetization by national regulators.
• Stricter disclosure demands — clear fiat pricing, bundle breakdowns, and odds disclosure for randomized items in more markets.
• Ad restrictions targeted at minors and platform-level policy updates from Apple and Google.
• Increased compliance costs for operators that must redesign UI, implement age-verification, and add spend-limits or transparent receipts.
• Policy harmonization pressure at the EU level as member states seek consistent enforcement approaches.

Practical, actionable compliance checklist for slot and mobile teams (start now)

Use this checklist to reduce regulatory risk and improve player trust. These steps reflect best practices and what enforcement bodies are explicitly asking for in 2026.

1. Audit randomized mechanics: Inventory every feature that delivers randomized outcomes for payment. Document whether items affect gameplay, progression, or cosmetic status.
2. Expose true cost: Show fiat-equivalent prices next to virtual currency and break down bundles so players can see how much each unit costs in real currency.
3. Publish odds and RTP-like metrics: For loot boxes and gacha, publish clear odds for each rarity tier and describe expected value in plain language.
4. Remove or label gambling-like framing: Avoid slot-like wheels with high production polish unless clearly labeled and compliant with local gambling law.
5. Implement spend controls: Offer pre-set and custom spend limits, cooling-off tools, and a clear refund policy. Make limits easy to find and set.
6. Strengthen age-gating and KYC: Use validated age checks and escalate KYC where real-money or gambling-like mechanics exist.
7. Eliminate dark patterns: Ensure exit points are obvious, purchasing flows require explicit consent, and promotional language doesn’t pressure users.
8. Audit advertising: Stop targeted ads that are likely to reach minors; include prominent disclaimers on offers.
9. Legal classification review: Work with counsel to decide whether features fit local definitions of gambling; don’t assume cosmetic-only shields you from regulation.
10. Prepare transparency pages: Centralize a compliance hub with published odds, currency conversion, responsible-gaming tools, and contact info for regulators.

Technical changes to prioritize (engineering roadmap items)

Compliance is part product and part tech. Prioritize these engineering changes in 2026 roadmaps to stay ahead:

• Real-currency price overlay — show live exchange to fiat in purchase dialogs.
• Odds API — machine-readable odds metadata for each randomized item, accessible publicly and to app stores.
• Spend-tracking hooks — session and lifetime spend telemetry that users can view and export.
• Age verification integration — robust third-party age/KYC flows for regulated markets.
• Configurable market toggles — switch off randomized offers in specific jurisdictions with a server-side flag.

Player-side protections and communication (what operators must offer players)

Regulators reward transparency. Offer players these protections to reduce complaints and build trust:

• Clear receipts that show how much real money was spent in each transaction.
• In-game dashboards that display odds, spend history and time played per session.
• Easy-to-find responsible-gaming tools: deposit caps, self-exclusion and cooling-off buttons.
• Parental controls and educational messaging when content reaches age-sensitive thresholds.

Business strategy: monetization that survives increased scrutiny

The market will reward operators who pivot to transparent, player-friendly monetization models. Consider these strategic shifts:

• Shift to direct purchases — sell specific cosmetic items at fixed prices rather than randomized bundles.
• Introduce subscriptions — predictable recurring revenue reduces the appearance of exploitative upselling.
• Value-based pricing — communicate clear utility: this skin costs €X and grants Y visual change only.
• Earned progression — balance grind and paid shortcuts without gating core content behind paywalls that feel coercive.

Enforcement patterns to watch (late 2025 — 2026 signals)

Based on the AGCM probe and 2025 enforcement trends, expect the following:

• Fines and corrective orders — regulators will not only levy fines but require UI changes and public notices.
• Platform enforcement — app stores may force policy changes if national regulators escalate.
• Cross-border coordination — EU agencies and member-state consumer authorities will increasingly share findings, leading to de-facto harmonization.
• Class actions and consumer complaints — published spending data and unclear mechanics make class actions easier to mount.

Case study: how a mobile-studio audit could have reduced AGCM risk

Imagine a mid-sized studio with a popular gacha game that mirrors the mechanics AGCM questioned. A 2026 pre-emptive audit would:
- Identify every purchase flow delivering randomized rewards.
- Add fiat-equivalent prices to in-app store pages and checkout screens.
- Publish odds and add spend dashboards and daily spend limits.
- Remove countdown urgency copy for offers likely to reach minors.
- Implement server-side market toggles to disable gacha in Italy and other restrictive markets instantly.

Those changes reduce complaints, lower enforcement risk and protect revenue by maintaining market access.

For regulators and operators: a practical roadmap (90-day sprint)

Here’s a condensed, prioritized sprint for operators facing similar scrutiny — a practical timeline you can start today:

1. Day 0–14: Inventory monetization mechanics; map markets where features are live.
2. Day 15–30: Implement fiat-price overlays and public odds pages for randomized mechanics.
3. Day 31–60: Deploy spend-tracking UI and simple spend caps; release a transparency/FAQ hub.
4. Day 61–90: Tighten age verification in targeted markets; add parental controls and revise marketing creatives.

How players and affiliates should react (practical advice)

If you’re a player, streamer, affiliate or community moderator: protect your audience and brand by following these actions:

• Prefer games with clear pricing and published odds.
• Warn viewers about opaque bundles and randomized mechanics; recommend alternatives that sell direct items.
• Educate younger players and parents on spending controls in app stores and in-game settings.
• Report suspected predatory practices to national consumer authorities (AGCM in Italy) and keep records of advertising and purchase flows.

Conclusion: the path forward in 2026

The AGCM investigations into Activision Blizzard are a wake-up call: regulators no longer tolerate ambiguity where players — especially minors — can be steered into harmful spending. For slot operators and mobile studios, the choice is clear. You can either wait to be forced into changes under penalty, or you can proactively redesign monetization around transparency, player control and measurable safety tools. The latter preserves long-term revenue, reduces litigation risk and aligns with emerging EU-level expectations through 2026.

Actionable next steps (start this week)

• Run the inventory checklist — identify all in-game purchases that include randomness or time-based pressure.
• Publish parity pricing — add fiat equivalents and clear bundle breakdowns to all purchase points.
• Roll out spend dashboards — give players full visibility and simple controls in three clicks or fewer.
• Contact legal/compliance — get a jurisdictional risk assessment for every market you serve.

Want a ready-made compliance checklist and a developer-ready odds API schema to implement these changes fast? Subscribe to pokie.website’s compliance toolkit and get a downloadable 90-day roadmap built for mobile studios and slot operators.

Final thought

Regulation is catching up to design. In 2026, transparency and player protection aren’t just ethical choices — they’re competitive advantages. Operators who treat that seriously will protect brand value, market access and long-term monetization while keeping players safer and more satisfied.

Call to action: Download the 90-day compliance sprint from pokie.website, audit your monetization this week, and subscribe for regular alerts on AGCM and EU-level developments affecting pokies, loot boxes and mobile slots.

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