Loot Box Ban in Belgium Is Not Being Enforced, Says Study

gamerant.com:

The persistence of loot boxes or monetization in video games has become an increasingly contentious subject among gamers, developers, publishers, and even lawmakers. From companies like EA notoriously dubbing loot boxes “surprise mechanics” to the government of Belgium banning them altogether in 2018, people simply don’t agree on whether or not loot boxes should be allowed in video games.

For the past few years, legislators have occasionally brought up the question of monetization and loot boxes in gaming, with a goal of determining if some game companies’ money-making practices can be equated with gambling. Mostly, these attempts at regulation failed to get off the ground outside of Asia. Then one country surprised almost everyone — and gave many gamers a momentary surge of hope — when Belgium made loot boxes in video games illegal.

Ted Cruz Wants to Speak with Asmongold About Loot Boxes

Specifically, the Belgian Gaming Commission declared that loot boxes in video games were akin to gambling and therefore subject to the country’s applicable laws. The Commission stated that the loot box systems in FIFA 18, Overwatch, and CS:GO must be removed or the game publishers could face criminal charges and fines. Belgium’s Minister of Justice Koen Geens called for a ban on loot boxes throughout the European Union and, for a time, it seemed like the anti-loot box movement was picking up steam. However, a study recently released by researcher Leon Y. Xiao has found that the loot box ban in Belgium has not been “effectively enforced.”

According to Xiao, many companies outright ignore the loot box ban and yet face no consequences from Belgian authorities. Furthermore, Xiao believes that enforcing the ban and eliminating loot boxes