SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
Submitted via IRC for TheMightyBuzzard
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: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 02 2018, @08:55AM (1 child)
I have an even better idea. If you don't want to abide by a country's laws, just don't travel or do business there.
You might be missing out on a whole lot of moolah, but that's nothing compared to standing by your principles. Good on you for that.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 03 2018, @01:53AM
I often say that companies shouldn't try to appease censorship-happy countries like China, so I agree. However, at the same time, criticizing unjust laws is perfectly legitimate, even if it's unlikely that they will change.
And apparently opposing anti-gambling laws like this is trolling. Not sorry, but I really would prefer that the government didn't get involved here. At most, there should be protections against things like blatant fraud (i.e. they claim it's possible to win something but it isn't). But laws criminalizing gambling? That is just insane.