Belgium declares loot boxes illegal after investigating FIFA 18, CS:GO and Overwatch
Belgium declares loot boxes illegal after investigating FIFA 18, CS:GO and Overwatch
Belgium investigated four games, Star Wars: Battlefront II (which kickstarted public outcry against loot boxes), FIFA 18 (which has a PEGI 3 rating), Overwatch and Counterstrike: Global Offensive. After their investigation. Only Star Wars Battlefront II was left unscathed, having removed paid for loot boxes before launch and throughout Belgium’s investigation.
The loot boxes must therefore also be removed. If that does not happen, the operators risk a prison sentence of up to five years and a fine of up to 800,000 euros. When minors are involved, those punishments can be doubled.
Belgium is concerned with the impact of loot boxes on minors, with the Minister of Justice Koen Geens stating that the practice can damage the mental health of young people and that they shouldn’t be confronted with gambling when they are “looking for fun in a video game”. Below is Geen’s full statement.
Mixing games and gaming, especially at a young age, is dangerous for mental health. We have already taken numerous measures to protect both minors and adults against the influence of, among other things, gambling advertising. That is why we must also ensure that children and adults are not confronted with games of chance when they are looking for fun in a video game.
The director of the Belgian Gaming Commission, Peter Naessens has also released a statement which offers a similar sentiment, saying that “Paying loot boxes are not an innocent part of video games”. Below is Peter Naessens’ full statement.
Paying loot boxes are not an innocent part of video games that present themselves as games of skill. Players are tempted and misled, and none of the protective measures for gambling is applied. Now that it is clear that children and vulnerable people in particular are exposed to them unprotected, game manufacturers but also parties such as FIFA, for example, are called upon to call a halt to this practice.
Starting now, Belgium’s Minister of Justice Koen Geens has called for dialogue with video game publishers and developers to find out who is responsible for the removal of loot boxes. It is clear that Belgium means business when they say that they want loot boxes removed from games.
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