The ongoing loot box controversy appears to have died down a bit in recent weeks, but political authorities all over the world continue to investigate the practice. Recently, the Netherlands Gaming Authority (NGA) launched an investigation into 10 unnamed games and how they utilize loot boxes. The NGA declared that four of those 10 games were using loot boxes in an unlawful manner, with the guilty titles rumored to be Dota 2, FIFA 18, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, and Rocket League.

The NGA has given the publishers of the four games eight weeks to change their loot box models. If the publishers fail to do so, then the NGA has the authority to fine them or ban the sale of those games in the region entirely. The reason being that the NGA considers loot boxes that offer prizes with "real-world value" the same as gambling, likening them to slot machines.

And while six of the games being investigated by the NGA were determined to use loot boxes lawfully, the organization believes that they can still pose a threat. The NGA worries that children who are exposed to the loot boxes in these games could potentially develop a gambling addiction and be encouraged to play other "games of chance."

"As a result of opening loot boxes, socially vulnerable groups such as young people could eventually be encouraged to play other games of chance. The risk of gambling addiction in this group is many times higher than in adults."

Star Wars Battlefront 2 loot boxes gambling investigation Belgium

The NGA's determination that some forms of loot boxes are gambling stand in stark contrast to how some organizations in the United States have reacted to the controversy. For example, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has repeatedly said that loot boxes aren't gambling, and the 2018 Game Developers Conference, held in San Francisco, California, had a panel where it described loot box regulation as a form of censorship.

Despite the ESA's insistence that loot boxes aren't gambling and the industry's attempts to avoid regulation, it's clear that the loot box controversy isn't going away. With the Netherlands officially declaring some types of loot boxes as gambling, it will be interesting to see if other regions follow suit.

Source: Gamasutra