In a recent post on their European forums, Blizzard has announced that the option to purchase loot boxes in two of their games, Overwatch and Heroes of the Storm, will have to be suspended for Belgian players due to a mandate issued by the Belgian Gaming Commission.
The post goes on to explain that the ban comes as a result of a ruling made between the Belgian Gaming Commission and the Ministry of Justice. Both parties have declared that the loot boxes in Overwatch, as well as the loot chests in Heroes of the Storm, are regarded as gambling before the eyes of the law, and therefore do not subject the players to the appropriate regulations that govern gambling practices.
It is clear Blizzard is unsatisfied with the motion in that they state they were “surprised by this conclusion and do not share the same opinion.” The consequence of ignoring this ruling is an extremely hefty fine, and Blizzard have thus added that they will honour the official decision to have the option to pay for loot boxes removed for both games.
Much like a ruling passed on CS:GO in the Netherlands, the central issue here is that monetary value is exchanged for an item based on chance to an unregulated player base. For this reason, players in Belgium can still earn loot boxes by playing/grinding through the game, but it is now considered gambling – and thus illegal – if they are purchased with actual money.
For now, Blizzard’s legal team are meeting with authorities to determine if the option to pay for loot can be reintegrated into both games.
Pieter hails all the way from the tip of southern Africa and suffers from serious PC technophilia. Therapists say it is incurable. Now he has to remind himself constantly that gaming doesn’t count as a religion even if DRM is the devil. Thankfully, writing reviews sometimes helps with the worst symptoms.
GOOD. As long as you have to buy “keys” or “boxes” with real currency, i’m totally against it and all countries should ban this. So we get RID of it once and for all.
I want more countries to enforce this across Europe.
Oh boy do I have news for people in America if they think Lootboxes are going to be banned in the USA.
While I don’t like them, or agree with the idea of them. It’s not technically gambling, and if it is to be considered gambling, online gambling is now legal, and they will just be regulated under the same board that regulates online gambling. 18+years of age, with no way to truly regulate it unless you want some game Developer or Publisher to have your SSN and all your information showing you are 18 years or older. Which is the only way it could be truly enforced.
Notice how nothing ever came from that Rep. In Hawaii that tried to get people behind banning them in the house. It fell flat on it’s face.
It fell flat because the Bill was amended into something completely irrelevant, and then withdrawn as a consequence, but nice try. In the US, gambling is regulated on a state basis, so if a state decides it’s gambling, it’s gambling – for that state, anyway.
I never even implied I knew why it failed, I just said it failed.
Internet gambling is not normal gambling which you are correct, it is normally regulated by the state in which you are gambling in. Then you would normally do your taxes on earned winnings which is where the government steps in accordance to normal gambling.
Online gambling is generally across state lines so it was/is enforced Federally by the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act which was passed back in 2006, which it has been opened it up now and it is legal federally.
But it is still Federal Law; so there would have to be a Federal Agency to get involved such as the FTC, some new regulatory board, or simply a Law passed declaring Loot Boxes are a form of gambling which would still mean the vast majority of people are wiring/transfering money across State Lines for gambling purposes. So it is Federal Law enforced by Federal Jurisdiction.
But nice try.
“Oh boy do I have news for people in America if they think Lootboxes are going to be banned in the USA.
While I don’t like them, or agree with the idea of them. It’s not technically gambling”
I was replying to this. The rest becomes legal semantics once a state classifies it as gambling.
Ah alright, I didn’t realize that was what you were referring too. Sorry. But you are 100% correct, it’s all legal semantics at that point once a state classifies it. I do want somebody to do it, but I just have a feeling that it’s going to take at least a few more years because of how slow our government, even at a state level seems to work.
True, though by that point, the industry may very well have moved on to the next money-making cow, in which case, it won’t even matter any more. Hm, I wonder……
Takes a lot of time because 1. government, and 2. informed people have not yet propagated through our system of laws yet. Questionable practices online and with digital products have been tough to regulate vs in a world prior to our internet and computer luxuries, but that has been quickly changing. There are a few fighting now, but we will need more in office.
And yes, engaging with these price gouging “chance” mechanisms with unclear winning rate percentages (something even Vegas has regulated) is 100%, absolutely, without question gambling based on language, medical, and psychology dictionary definitions. Only in laws and law dictionaries are they able to circumvent being categorized as gambling – for now.
Laws do not define morality, morality defines laws. The laws will catch up because it is gambling, but just takes time.
Oh I agree, it will certainly take plenty of time for this to catch up with its self. It just will not happen as quickly as other people seem to want it to happen. I dislike these questionable practices as much as the next guy, but just like you said there are few fighting against this because like most people in the house and senate they’re old as hell. I highly doubt the vast majority of them actually understand exactly what the hell a Lootbox is, or the concept of why it’s like gambling with randomized chances to gain items in certain games worth X amount of dollars. Or even things that aren’t worth any value.
I also do agree that it is gambling, just like you said it gambling based on all know laws that regulate it. But with that said, if and when the language changes it shall be something that will be categorized as it.
But the problem with the internet and online gambling is that on a state level, any state can pass laws for it but it the Internet is, technically, a interstate connection so it will have to be a law passed for some sort of federal regulation of it. That’s going to take a ton of time, but it will eventually catch up with it self.
“surprised by this conclusion and do not share the same opinion.”
This is my shocked face. No, seriously, this is my totally shocked face.
Not.
you forgot the “damn”
Overwatch popularized lootboxes? I could have sworn CS:GO came out first and had boxes before that, and TF2 came out before CS:GO and also had lootboxes. Both are and were very popular before Overwatch stepped into the scene.
This comment lol!
Now, if only the rest of the world would follow suit.
It’s pathetic that we live in a day and age, that governments have to aggressively get involved, in order to protect people from their own stupidity in buying into this manipulative garbage.
Regulation, is not always a bad thing.
Stay awhile and listen, time to close shop, Morhaime. Come more countries follow the same ruling. Out with the shitbox-sactions!!
Well, I’m not sure what is going on behind closed doors at Blizzard but if they are believing that this will not spread much beyond Belgium then it’s not a lot of lost money. The population of Belgium is only around 12 million. How many are gamers? How many of those gamers play this game? I have no idea but it’s probably just a drop in the bucket for Blizzard.
Still, if it did spread to at least other European countries the amount of money lost could be high for Blizzard. I hope so but I don’t really look for any serious stand against it here in the USA. You can buy politicians pretty easy here. Just look at what’s going on with mass school shootings and politicians look the other way due to campaign money from the NRA.
I own guns. I owned guns when I was raising my kids. They were locked up in a gun safe with the combination known only to me and my wife and there weren’t even mass school shootings at that time. It’s just common sense and it should be law along with a ban on Assault Rifles. No one needs that kind of firepower for home defense and certainly not for sport hunting. The only real purpose for an Assault Rifle with a huge clip is for killing a lot of people quickly.
Aren’t they always.
the Heroes of the Storm Tycus says “hell it’s about damn time!”
sounds way better though i haven’t played that pozzed game in ages