Hardly any topic in the video gaming world is currently being discussed as hotly as lootboxing. In the past, we have reported on how Belgium , Australia and the US state of Hawaii want to tackle blind digital purchases.
Now, the Dutch gambling authority has decided that yes, lootboxes are gambling, because the in-game items can have an economic value, as these are also traded outside the game for real money. The design and presentation of lootboxes is also often synonymous with gambling.
The developers and publishers of the games examined and found by the authorities to qualify as gambling games now have eight weeks to adapt the games. If this does not happen, fines or sales bans are threatened.
Marja Appelmann, director of the Dutch Gambling Authority, expressed the belief that young people are particularly vulnerable to the addictive nature of lootboxes, and said that game developers now have to share the responsibility to better protect children.
Full article: Gamondo (Dutch)
