The key finding, embodied in the sentences immediately before the one you quoted, is that more research is needed because there is not enough firm data to form a consensus.

I suspect the lack of consensus regarding gambling mechanics in games is along the lines of the former 'lack of consensus' surrounding the causal link between smoking and lung disease or the current 'lack of consensus' connecting CO2 emissions and global warming, however. Namely, a manufactured dispute created to defend the indefensible.

“Previous analyses revealed that problem gambling and paying for loot boxes are related.“ Parent quote is qualifying this to say correlation is not causation.

The second page ends with a recommendation for EU-wide restrictions to protect children from loot boxes.