Loot boxes: I blew my university savings playing Fifa

Jonathan Peniket has told BBC Radio 5 Live how, when he was 17, he spent the money his parents had saved for his future - nearly £3,000 - on Fifa football video game ‘loot boxes’.

Speaking to 5 Live's Investigations Unit, he said he became “addicted to the buzz of chance” of buying and opening the online ‘packs’ after his mum was diagnosed with cancer.

The House of Lords Gambling Committee is calling for loot boxes, which are not currently considered to be gambling, to be regulated immediately.

The maker of the football game, EA Sports, has denied any aspect of the game constitutes gambling - and said Fifa Ultimate Team can be played without spending any money and that purchases are entirely optional.

Fifa, football's governing body, has yet to respond to an approach for comment.