As U.S. State Representatives take aim at monetized games like Star Wars: Battlefront for being nothing more than casinos aimed at kids, the Belgian Gaming Commission and Victorian Gambling Authority have decided that Star Wars: Battlefront 2's loot crate practices are indeed gambling.
The Belgian Gaming Commission decided to look into whether Star Wars: Battlefront 2's loot crate practices qualify as gambling earlier this month and their decision is in, as well as Australia's Victorian Gambling Authority.
Both authorities have found Star Wars: Battlefront 2's loot crate practices to be a form of gambling.
According to Belgium's gambling authority (VTM Nieuws via Engadget), purchasable loot boxes whose contents are randomized, mix "money and addiction" and thus are a form of gambling. Belgium is allegedly looking to ban games with microtransaction practices like this.
The Victorian Gambling and Liquor Regulation (VGLR) have come to the same result as Belgium's authorities, though in a less formal manner. Redditor -Caesar reached out to the VGLR requesting their opinion on the matter.
A strategic analyst from the VGLR defined loot boxes as gambling, but noted that there wasn't much a government could do for regulation and that the regulation would come from working with other agencies, like Game Classification Boards, on changing the ratings of games with in-game monetization.
With so much attention on how microtransactions are implemented into game, it's possible that the practices of loot boxes will fundamentally change in the future.
Source : Game Zone
