Belgium declares loot boxes are gambling, aims to have them banned throughout Europe

As the gaming industry continues to attempt to figure out what place loot boxes will have in it (brought to the forefront as controversy continues to swirl around the micro transactions of EA’s Star Wars Battlefront 2). Belgium’s Gaming Commission (in charge of regulating the countries gambling infrastructure) has announced that it considers loot boxes to be gambling.

That resolution comes after it began an investigation of franchises like Overwatch that contain purchasable loot boxes and random drops, and in the in terms of Battlefront 2, count as a portion of the progression system.

This resolution comes alongside the recommended action of banning any form of purchasable loot box where the player is not informed ahead of time what the contents will be. Belgium’s Minister of Justice Koen Geens noted that “The mixing of money and addiction is gambling”, and warned against it becoming prevalent in a industry that children readily participate in.

While there has been no real action in the rest of the world against loot boxes, some who believe it to be harmful, hope this will spark global change. It should be expected that if they are banned in Europe, this would result in a partial industry shift.

(Source – VTM)