Lootboxes now considered gambling in the Netherlands, four games must make changes
The worldwide lootboxes controversy continues, and this time, the claim is coming from the Netherlands. Four games were found to be breaking the country's "Betting and Gaming Act", meaning there's an addictive gambling element, and due to the ability for players to create a market based upon selling lootbox content, it's considered a "game of chance", and therefore requires a license. The four games weren't specified, however a Dutch news channel called out games like PUBG, Rocket League, Dota 2, and FIFA 18. All of which do have a large trading economies that base themselves on lootboxes.
The Dutch gaming authority has decided that lootboxes are similar to casino games, meaning they either need to acquire a gambling license in the country, or the developers need to change how lootboxes work. Such changes would involve disabling any visual effects while opening a lootbox, so that players do not have a rush of excitement from potentially being psyched into winning big, and there needs to be a cooldown on opening lootboxes, so players don't open mass amounts of them in one go. The four games must make here changes before June 20, or else the Dutch gaming authority will be forced to take legal action.
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