Belgium’s Minister of Justice Koen Geens also weighed in, saying, “Mixing gambling and gaming, especially at a young age, is dangerous for the mental health of the child. As opposed to scrutinizing loot boxes using antiquated criteria set forth in the era of traditional gambling, the Belgian Gambling Commission focused more. Last week, Belgium’s Gaming Commission began an investigation into whether loot boxes in titles such as Star Wars Battlefront 2 and Overwatch can be defined as gambling. “The mixing of money and addiction is gambling,” said Belgium’s Gaming Commission (via PC Gamer). With the Gaming Commission concluding that loot boxes are a form of gambling, Electronic Arts may have to halt sales of the game in Belgium. Under Belgian law, the Gaming Commission must provide a license before publishers are able to include gambling in their games. They will now attempt to ban loot boxes in Europe.Īccording to Gaming Commission director Peter Naessens, the investigation, which includes Star Wars Battlefront II and Overwatch, began because loot boxes don’t reveal their contents until after players have purchased them, rather than traditional microtransactions, which give players a clear indication of what they’re buying. Having reached a conclusion, the Commission has deemed these blind microtransactions a form of gambling. Star Wars Battlefront 2 Launch TrailerLast week, Belgium’s Gaming Commission announced its investigation into whether or not loot boxes are considered gambling.
