The Belgian government, which has declared loot boxes from online games illegal, has launched an investigation into EA after the company refused to change the way loot is selected from its loot boxes in FIFA 18.
In April 2018, Belgium’s gambling commission ruled that loot boxes found in online games like FIFA 18, Overwatch, and Counter Strike: Global Offensive were “illegal gambling.” Failure to comply with this law, which also includes ensuring that minors cannot access these in- game, is considered illegal.
Shortly after the law came into effect, the companies that created and maintain the aforementioned titles disabled loot boxes within their games, specifically for Belgian users. On the other hand, EA, which is the company behind FIFA 18, did not take any action to comply with the new law, and as a result, it is being investigated by the Brussels prosecutor's office.
The reason this specific law was passed is because in these Loot boxes, the player does not know exactly what he will win. For example, while it is known in advance what the possible outcomes are, he does not know for sure what he will win. The possible outcomes of loot boxes are almost always digital, which the user can use while playing, and their value ranges from a few cents to tens of thousands of euros.
EA states that its products are designed ethically and legally, and denies that its games contain any form of gambling. EAsaid that FIFA 18 could not be considered a game of chance, as all packs award a certain number of items, and because there is no way for players to sell or transfer their items for real money.
