The Dutch gaming authority will take measures to bind loot boxes

A recent study of loot boxes in 10 games by the Dutch gaming authority concluded that 4 of them violated gambling laws and had to be changed. The management did not say which games are under investigation, but they warn that there will be “binding measures” on these games if the loot boxes are not changed to comply with the law. The deadline is June 20.

“Research shows that 4 out of 10 loot boxes selected violate the law. The reason is that the items received in the loot box are determined by randomness and the winnings are redeemable outside the game: the rewards have real money value.” the report said. “It is against the law to expose such red-and-black games to Dutch consumers without a license.”

More specifically, the game authorities said there are loopholes in the current law when dealing with problems like loot boxes. “Such games that combine in-game item exchange and how to receive items through loot boxes fall under Article 1 of the Gambling and Entertainment constitution. Since licenses cannot be issued under current regulations, such loot boxes will be banned in the Netherlands.”

“Six out of 10 games with loot boxes studied are not illegal, as the game items have no market value. These games do not fall under Article 1 of the Gambling and Entertainment constitution.”

This study was conducted to confirm the “ambiguity” surrounding the questions regarding the loot box ban in the Netherlands. But the study also makes a lot of interesting comments about how addictive loot boxes are. The loot boxes, they say, “have the potential for moderate to severe addiction.”

In fact, it’s the way they present loot boxes that are addictive, not loot boxes: According to the report, the heavily infringing games “have similar elements to the casino slot machines,” including visits. unlimited, the ability to exchange virtual items for money, sound and graphics, and “near-hit” effects make players feel like they are close to hitting something. Loot box on the light side is similar to a game of “bingo” on a small scale.

“By opening loot boxes, vulnerable groups of players such as children may be stimulated to play other probability games,” the report warns. There is no evidence that loot box games are used by vulnerable populations, but “the risk of addiction to gambling is much higher in this group than in adults.”

The final report summarizes the legitimacy in the last section. “Loot boxes are against the law if in-game items from loot boxes are transferable. Loot boxes are not illegal if the items in the loot box are not transferable.” But the game authorities are also clear on the idea that loot boxes are not gambling because they only give players in-game items when they open them.”

“This opinion is not correct,” the report noted. “In-game items will be distinct and have market value if they are exchangeable. Obviously, the winners here are those who open high value items in the gaming market.

Recent research by market expert Juniper Research shows that the value of loot boxes and gambling with skins could surpass $50 billion by 2022. Although Steam has made efforts to “put up a lot of solutions to prevent” before these attacks. lawsuit in 2016, “gambling practices continue to exist.”

Source: PCGamer