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FIFA, Overwatch, Counter-Strike: GO could face fines and prison penalties.
The Belgian Gaming Commission has determined that randomized loot boxes in at least three games count as "games of chance," and publishers could therefore be subject to fines and prison sentences under the country's gaming legislation.
A statement by Belgian Minister of Justice Koen Geens (machine translation) identifies loot boxes in Overwatch, FIFA 18, and Counter Strike: Global Offensive as meeting the criteria for that "game of chance" definition: i.e., "there is a game element [where] a bet can lead to profit or loss and chance has a role in the game." The Commission also looked at Star Wars: Battlefront II and determined that the recent changes EA made to the game means it "no longer technically forms a game of chance."
Beyond that simple definition, the Gaming Commission expressed concern over games that draw in players with an "emotional profit forecast" of randomized goods, where players "buy an advantage with real money without knowing what benefit it would be." The fact that these games don't disclose the odds of receiving specific in-game items is also worrisome, the Commission said.
[...] Belgium's decision follows on a similar finding in the Netherlands, which specifically called out loot boxes in FIFA 18, DotA 2, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, and Rocket League for illegal gambling activities. In the United States, legislators in Hawaii, Washington state, and the US Senate continue to look into loot box regulations, even as industry bodies like the Entertainment Software Rating Board downplay the need for such actions.
[ TMB Note: We deeply apologize for using that word outside of a serious screenplay. ]
(Score: 2) by sjames on Tuesday May 01 2018, @08:41PM (2 children)
There must be some sort of reward or nobody would pay for them.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Freeman on Tuesday May 01 2018, @09:27PM (1 child)
Please note, gambling can be a real addiction and ruin lives easily. Maybe, I'll get lucky this time! Just one more! It's like playing civilization for just one more turn, then it's 4AM and you're like huh?!? Assuming you've never had that experience or a similar one, it may be hard to explain just how messed up things like this can be. Loot Boxes are "semi-fine gray area okay", if they are Free or for cosmetics only. Beyond that, they're just a system to milk money from the users/gamblers.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 2) by Fnord666 on Tuesday May 01 2018, @11:20PM
Ah yes, the old "what the hell is that glare on my monitor? Oh, the sun is coming up!" kind of a night.