The advisory issued by the police against mystery prize vending machines ought to be strengthened (Mystery prize vending machines illegal: Police; Aug 17).

The police stated that these machines, which "dispense random prizes upon receipt of cash payment", are a form of public lottery. This raises questions about whether similar regulations should apply to video-game loot boxes or similar products offered on e-commerce websites.

Public education on this, with the aim of encouraging individuals to be more informed and to take responsibility for their own decisions, must be strengthened.

Video-game loot boxes operate on the same principle as these vending machines, as players pay a small amount of money to procure additional content, or to obtain or win unpredictable rewards.

It is increasingly untenable to regulate the vending machines under the Common Gaming Houses Act while ignoring digital developments, especially when video games are played by many young children who may not be aware of the dynamic between real cash payments and virtual rewards.

In fact, there have been calls to extend existing gambling laws to video games and e-commerce operations all around the world.

In the longer term, public education cannot be premised upon a simple "a gambling addiction is deleterious" message, which by extension discourages individuals from most, if not all, forms of gambling.

That some satisfaction could be derived from such vending machines and loot boxes cannot be disregarded.

Instead, a more productive strategy would be to educate Singaporeans on the financial principles and odds of these mechanisms, which are inevitably stacked against users.

This is important as it does not erode the underlying importance of self-responsibility and, rather than having the state make decisions for them, users will be making their own.

Kwan Jin Yao