I feel you take me as arguing "PEGI represents the public" or "PEGI assigns ratings fairly according to public sentiment". I'm only proposing the public's opini

I feel you take me as arguing "PEGI represents the public" or "PEGI assigns ratings fairly according to public sentiment". I'm only proposing the public's opinion of all of these things went farther down hill at the same time, not that the legal regulation (and therefore ratings PEGI feels they can get away with) happened at the same time too. Recall PEGI is formed and funded by the video games industry, it does not have people's considerations in mind beyond "what can we get away with while still preventing real government regulation which we don't control from forming". Government regulations of traditional gambling existed before PEGI was even a thing (which is also even before anything associated with gambling at all took a sentiment downturn) while government regulation of lootboxes is just getting started. This limits what PEGI thinks they can get away with (obviously that does not including trying to call things illegal for a 17 year as fine for a 3 year old). PEGI is already very away public opinion of lootboxes for children is low, that's why they've created the extra "Includes Paid Random Items" label. They'll use that excuse to avoid the age change until countries force their hand and legally call lootboxes gambling too. I wouldn't be surprised if that was in the next 5 years for most or all of the EU, a few countries in the EU are already there.