A very uncompromising decision from the Belgian authorities.
Lootboxes have become the talk of the town these days with games like Star Wars Battlefront 2 coming under scrutiny for offering a very microtransaction-laden model of progression.
Whether or not spending money on in-game boxes containing loot, which quality is dictated by chance, is gambling has been discussed for some time now without much conclusiveness.
Now the Belgium’s Gaming Commission has decided that such practices are in fact gambling and has vowed to take the matter to higher European Union authorities with the goal in mind that such elements are forbidden.
Belgium’s Minister of Justice Koen Geens reiterated that mixing gambling and gaming can have adverse effects on children subjected to this type of entertainment. It’s a long road until bigger decisions are made but it is an interesting turn of events.