Belgium declares loot boxes gambling and therefore illegal

bla

Hot on the heels of the Netherlands declaring loot boxes are gambling and therefore illegal, Belgium has had its say.

The Belgian Gaming Commission looked at Star Wars Battlefront 2, FIFA 18, Overwatch and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and found only Star Wars was not in violation of the country's gambling legislation - and that's only because EA stripped out the game's loot boxes after its launch debacle.

It determined FIFA 18, Overwatch and CS:GO's loot boxes are a game of chance and so are subject to Belgian gambling law. Battlefront 2, at the time the investigation was conducted, did not have loot boxes, so escapes unscathed.

A statement from Minister of Justice Koen Geens said FIFA 18, Overwatch and CS:GO were therefore illegal and demanded their loot boxes removed. If they're not, the publishers "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, Geens added.

Belgium expressed a particular concern about the impact loot boxes have on young people. "It is often children who come into contact with such systems and we cannot allow that," Geens warned.

In fact, Geens requested the Belgian Gaming Commission investigated video game loot boxes after the Star Wars blow up. "Given the importance of the protection of minors and vulnerable players, this was very worrying," he said.

So, what happens next? Geens wants a dialogue with video game publishers and developers to work out who's responsible for the removal of the loot boxes. Whatever the outcome of those talks, it's clear Geens means business.

"We have already taken numerous measures to protect both minors and adults against the influence of, among other things, gambling advertising," he said.

"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."

This is yet another dramatic turn for the video game loot box issue, and a sign that in Europe at least, publishers may be forced to change the way their games work. Like with the Dutch situation, it'll be interesting to see whether publishers play ball with Belgium. But unlike the Dutch situation, Belgium has yet to impose a deadline by which publishers much change their games.

I thought they did that already.

I thought it is the game of skill

Please let this be remembered at least as a good example that gamers standing up against something does have a very real impact on the industry. We still have the power.

EA should go to jail. And be denied toilet roll.

Good, **** loot boxes.

Rejoice!

Based Belgium.

All the whales are in shambles right now.

@freedomfreak: Yeah got on you ^_^ I hope they get more countries to take a serious look at this.

It'll be interesting to see if big publishers will start to avoid Belgian and Dutch markets for their lootbox ridden games or if other countries will follow suit and ban the **** out of this ****

It won’t be a problem on the UK. We fucking love gambling here. You can bet on pretty much anything. I regularly bet on the F1 and football and do quite well out of it.

Will just mean you have to be 18 to play.

100% guaranteed that they will get other countries involved and then the EU. In the Dutch rapport it's as much about the laws of other countries as it is about their own. It's pretty clear they are immediately looking to include other European countries. I don't think there will be bans though. More likely regulations and taxation. Like Boycie suggests, an 18+ rating could very well be part of it. Bans are more Australia-style.

Good, hopefully this will spread to the rest of the EU. I saw so many people defending these garbage lootboxes over at the Overwatch forum/reddit it's disgusting.

In a cell block next to Valve, Blizzard, Ubisoft and Epic.

Great news, hope other countries will fellow suit.

Good, it's time for the loot box shit to meet it's end.

I bet Ubisoft, WB, Activision Blizzard and all the other AAA asshats are staring angrily at EA right now.

Anyway, good start. We'll see how this goes.

Good and I’m glad more people keep calling out FIFA and Counter Strike: GO because those guys seem to have been getting a pass for too long. Thank you EA and Battlefront II for having brought this issue to the forefront.

They will follow.

Most EU countries hate it when their money is spent outside of their country.

@GarGx1: And Bill Cosby

Good move, Belgium, hope to see others follow in your steps. Now so-called AAA devs will have to relearn how to make a legitimately quality game without an overdone, needlessly large budget that requires them to bleed the customer for money

No more video game ads during the Superbowl would be a good start...that'd save a few hundred million.

Yeah there is a good chance other countries will follow suit.

One of the things that the gambling commision made quite clear is that a lot of this stuff is being targeted towards kids and younger people.

here is what makes that radically interesting to me.

This ruling is basically now saying a virtual hat within a game has value that is the same as monetary value.

that is larger then I think many people are aware of

Very good news! Belgium, you rock!

I do wonder why these conversations seem to ignore the free to play, pay to win antics in the mobile marketplace with loot boxes that are just as, if not more, insidious than in these console games.

Good. Loot boxes need to die.

Good point.

Go Belgium!

Lol I'm from belgium, americans or foreigners in general that say go belgium, well that must be a first.

If belgians want you in prison they can be quite cunning, they once invited a pirate here (some african dude that was actually a pirate, so robbing ships at sea) He attacked a belgian ship and he was convicted, of course we don't have juristiction there but they lured him here by saying they wanted to make a movie about him.

He got arrested at the airport.

Burn in hell, loot boxes.