With the arrival of Star Wars: Battlefront II, people around the world are deciding whether Loot Boxes are really gambling or not. While it’s true that Loot Boxes have been around for some time now, it’s because of EA’s “dependence” on them in Battlefront II that things really escalated. Estimates on purchases in the game were at one time going to be $2100+ to get all items available, that ticked off a lot of people, and the world is responding to it.
For example, Belgium is one country that is trying very hard to ban Loot Boxes because of it’s “gambling” appearance. However, other countries aren’t so sure it meets the criteria. The United Kingdom for example also examined the issue, and the UK Gambling Commission has noted, as IGN reports, that Loot Boxes doesn’t fit their definition of gambling, and thus won’t be banned. The reasoning behind this is that even though you are spending money for a “random” thing, you can’t “cash out” at the end of the day. As everything happens in-game. However, that doesn’t mean they’re not concerned.
In fact, they’re very concerned, noting, “the line between video gaming and gambling is becoming increasingly blurred.” That’s very strong comments and ones that will likely continue for a long time.
It’s not hard to see why people think this is gambling, after all, you’re putting money into a game for the hope of something good. And while it’s true you don’t “cash out”, that doesn’t mean you don’t “win big” with these things, as there are rare and valuable in-game items that players can get.
Is there a solution to this issue? Probably not. If it does get banned, companies like EA and Blizzard will likely think of new ways to implement the system. Hopefully, though, it’d be a better one.
