The government of the Netherlands is preparing to take action against controversial loot boxes. With Belgium as a model, a complete ban on random boxes is being pursued. There, loot boxes are considered illegal gambling. A similar regulation is now to follow for the Netherlands.
On Twitter, Leon Y. Xiao shares a response email from the Dutch government. He inquired about the status of loot boxes in video games. So far, some games with loot boxes are banned in the Netherlands, but there is still no law for a complete ban.
Thus, Xiao wanted confirmation that Minister Adriaansens has plans to act against this form of gambling. The response in English can be read here:
It states that Adriaansens indeed wants to take action against loot boxes and plans to completely ban them in the Netherlands. This is intended to further improve the regulations for in-game purchases in the country.
In the Netherlands, there has already been a ruling against the boxes with random contents. It stated that the FIFA series contained illegal loot boxes under Dutch gambling law.
Here you can see the current FIFA title in the trailer:
Moreover, there have already been some bans due to strict loot box regulations. Lost Ark is unplayable in the Netherlands and Belgium due to its loot boxes. The same fate befell Diablo Immortal, as the game is considered gambling in both countries.
In these games there are gambling elements
Which games are affected? If the loot box ban is actually enforced in the Netherlands, especially free battle royale games and some shooters could be banned. The video games that would become illegal due to the ban include:
However, many games like Overwatch 2 have wisely removed loot boxes and instead rely on other models like a battle pass and an in-game shop. Also, Star Wars Battlefront 2 and Call of Duty Black Ops 4 had to make changes after facing a massive wave of criticism.
In Rocket League, instead of loot boxes, there are now so-called drafts, where players can directly see what item is behind it.
Other games that do not include direct loot boxes but still offer in-game purchases of random contents with gacha elements are:
- Genshin Impact
- Honkai: Star Rail
It remains to be seen whether such games will also be subject to the ban or if further legislation will be needed for this.
When will the ban come for Germany? Currently, there are no plans to enforce such a ban in Germany. Although consumer organizations continually demand stricter rules, they are met with deaf ears by the German government.
In the European Union, there is some movement thanks to a resolution of the EU Parliament: EU Parliament passes resolution against loot boxes, gambling addiction, and gold farming – gaming industry expresses “concern”
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