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Dutch Gaming Authority Officially Takes Action Against Loot Boxes

The Dutch Gaming Authority (Kansspelautoriteit) has released a report regarding the validity of in-game loot boxes under Dutch Law, finding that four out of the ten games the organisation analysed conflicted with the country’s Betting and Gambling Act.

All of the games that we found to offer illegal gambling systems provided users with a method of selling their prizes or items outside of the game for money or other things of economic value. This kind of trading is illegal in the Netherlands without a license.

Out of the ten games analysed, only two of the titles had a PEGI rating of 18, with one of the games having an age rating of 3+, revealing how young children are beingsubjected to gambling like elements in video games from an extremely young age.

The Dutch gambling regulator pointed out that loot boxes incorporate elements of games of chance into games that are generally based on skill, which makes their nature highly controversial. Loot boxes, also known as loot crates, are purchasable in-game items that contain further items, some of which could be of great value and help to players, while others could only represent simple customization options. The contents of a given loot box only become known to a player after they complete the purchase.

Kansspelautoriteit said in its study that some of the items in the loot boxes could be traded outside of a game. In other words, such items have a monetary value. However, under the Netherlands’ Betting