The biggest German Twitch streamer MontanaBlack discussed topics related to casino and gambling in a talk. He also made a comparison with FIFA 20.
This is what MontanaBlack says: During a “spontaneous talk” with streamer Staiy, the two started discussing gambling.
Casino and slot streams are the content on Twitch, with which MontanaBlack achieved some top numbers in September 2019, before he then turned to FIFA 20 and distanced himself from the casino streams on Twitch.
During this talk, Staiy asked MontanaBlack whether he found FIFA 20 and its card packs or casino and slots worse. MontanaBlack’s answer:
The game [FIFA 20] has no age rating, but contains a system that […] is definitely comparable [to casino], if not even slightly worse than casino, whether online or in a gaming hall.
The conversation in the embedded video starts at minute 10:35. You can find the quoted part at 27:08.
Why does MontanaBlack view FIFA 20 so critically? According to MontanaBlack, FIFA packs would be worse than casino for several reasons:
- In FIFA, one could “throw away €1500 and only pull crap”
- With the next FIFA title, the cards would basically be worthless
- Even younger players (“my little cousin, who is 10”) can easily buy packs for hundreds of euros
In a newer stream, MontanaBlack opened several FIFA packs himself and pulled Ronaldo twice within a few minutes. His joy is clearly visible, making it easy to read a luck effect:
Slot machines are “more honest” because one can see directly what one wins and loses, and because one has “something” from the money won. Also, they have greater hurdles for verification.
FIFA and Gambling
How did this topic come about? Originally, MontanaBlack and Staiy were discussing a statement MontanaBlack made about casinos: He regrets his casino streams because they got out of control.
In the conversation, it turned out that MontanaBlack actually feels somewhat responsible for casino or “slot” streams becoming so popular on German Twitch.
Since I […] also started with casino streams, it feels like […] a large part of the German community on Twitch is casino-infected.
People want to “preferably only see casino 24/7,” says MontanaBlack. Nevertheless, he advises every viewer that they bear their own responsibility. He cannot deny that people have been drawn to gambling through his streams.
MontanaBlack also clearly states that he is not responsible if people gamble away money: “Everyone is responsible for themselves.”
Loot Boxes in Games – Addiction Risk?
This is the problem with loot boxes: Loot boxes like FIFA packs have been a topic of discussion in politics for some time. Belgium has banned loot boxes, classifying them under gambling law. Similar considerations have been made in Germany.
Some game mechanics are therefore different for Belgium, which players have partially taken advantage of, to convert probabilities into certainties.
Game companies are trying to avoid further regulations by labeling loot boxes with other terms:
