Think of it as a "boiling the frog" situation. The fact that this is close to CCGs, and CCGs haven't been banned, doesn't necessarily mean that it's just fine - it's a slow, gradual increase in "water temperature for the frog" that's has over time become unacceptable. So it's going to be equated to gambling and regulated - obviously, there needs to be a line somewhere through that fuzzy, gradual, unclear border, but IMHO it remains to be seen whether that line will be above or below current CCGs.

I'm not sure I'm ready to sacrifice CCGs on the altar of "think of the children!" just because it might knock game companies down a peg.

Well, it's not like anyone asked horse racing or poker enthusiasts if they're ready to sacrifice anything before their games were regulated.

In which case, I am completely against this legislation. The supposed harm being addressed is nebulous, if it even exists.

There's not a bright line between CCGs, scratchcards and loot boxes.

CCGs have merely been overlooked by regulators because they've traditionally been a niche interest and none of the makers were dumb enough to decorate the card packs with one-armed bandits.