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Lootboxes in FIFA now officially banned in The Netherlands by Dutch Government agency, classified as online gambling

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Juzzomac

Member
Oct 27, 2017
172
Aiii said:
To offer an example of physical collecting. As far as I remember from my childhood, Panini cards all had the same value, there was even a message that gave you the odds of getting all cards and so you could see the amount of money you'd need to spend to get all cards.

Furthermore, you could order missing stickers straight from Panini, the value was the same as a single card in a pack and they allowed you to order up to ten. Meaning there's a limit to how much you would need to spend to complete your collection.

In this sense it was granted an exception to the gambling code, even though it is still technically considered gambling.
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That's what I was thinking, I collect sports cards as well and wondering if they could be next. Stickers have that service you mentioned above, but cards these days don't. Panini wouldn't be able to sell you a 1/1 card that someone already owns, so each pack you open is variable in its value unlike sticker.

When thinking of potential ways EA could get around this, offering users in restricted countries the ability to redeem a physical card was my first thought.
 
Rynam

Rynam

The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
2,919
crepuscule said:
That isn't getting around it lol. If you know what is inside it isn't gambling anymore, it is just a microtransaction i.e. they lost.

Edit: I was wrong, it is still gambing, misinterpreted the last sentence in your post.
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Yeah maybe i wrote it a bit misunderstandable. They just moved the randomness on layer deeper, You only get shown the contents next box after you bought the one you know the contents.
 
Aldi

Aldi

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,634
United Kingdom
I spent a considerable amount of money on fifa 17 on packs. It was always small amounts, £10 here and £20 there. It wasn't until I looked at my statement and highlighted all the purchases that realised I'd spent around £700 ( which i know isn't considered a huge amount of money to some, but made me angry at myself)

I personally would love a FUT style mode that rewards players for grinding the game, completing challanges and winning tournaments that doesn't have pay to win. I quite enjoyed trading cards, predicting surges and drops in pricing and completing the squad building challanges.
 
Gedi

Gedi

Member
Oct 29, 2017
786
This is the second consecutive FIFA I've passed, soon enough I'll be two years clean! That said, I probably spent £20-30 tops on packs through previous seasons (which isn't a lot over 7-10 months play, I don't think) and comfortably amassed amazing FUT teams without the need to spend a penny more - the problem was I achieved that by flipping players on the market and I spent an unhealthy amount of time on the App, purchasing players for 1000, to sell at 2000 and so on and then buying packs with my 'profit'.
 
Rahfiki

Rahfiki

Member
Oct 28, 2017
1,022
Let's gooooo

I kinda wish the amount of the fine was higher though considering how much FUT makes
 
Kabukimurder

Kabukimurder

Banned
Oct 28, 2017
550
I guess this should apply to gatcha-games as well? The result of this will probably in time be that all these games gets unavailable here in the EU.
Online gambling is however legal. A way forward for these types of games might be to just get registered as gambling businesses.

Rocket League seems like the only game that has transitioned from loot boxes to a different MTX system. I guess EA should look into that as well.
 
OP
OP
Aiii

Aiii

何これ
Member
Oct 24, 2017
8,197
Kabukimurder said:
I guess this should apply to gatcha-games as well? The result of this will probably in time be that all these games gets unavailable here in the EU.
Online gambling is however legal. A way forward for these types of games might be to just get registered as gambling businesses.
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I doubt that's an option, because if they're gambling, they're 18+ and don't get to advertise anywhere that matters.
 
Dr. Mario

Dr. Mario

Member
Oct 27, 2017
13,915
Netherlands
Yay us

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Hopefully it extends to more than just FIFA though.
 
Burai

Burai

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,090
God help the entertainment industry if one of these publishers were ever able to convince a court that digital goods have no monetary value. Good luck taking down a torrent site once you've set that precedent.
 
benny

benny

Member
Oct 26, 2017
381
I hope other EU countries follow suit. That way a sizeable fine can be reached that hurts them into action.
 

Deleted member 36578

Dec 21, 2017
26,561
Very very good. Hopefully one day bigger countries ban em too.
 
Trup1aya

Trup1aya

Literally a train safety expert
Member
Oct 25, 2017
21,410
The craziest part of all of this is that EA has been escaping regulation by arguing that UT isn't gambling because the digital items have no monetary value.

IMO that makes it worse than traditional gambling. All the risk with none of the potenial reward.
 
Moebius

Moebius

Member
Oct 28, 2017
5,403
Good. I hope the US is next. It would be nice if EA actually had to make good games to stay in business rather than relying on online gambling.
 
EA to appeal. Tried pushing Valve approach of loot boxes as alternative to outright selling the cards.
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    • OP
    OP
    Aiii

    Aiii

    何これ
    Member
    Oct 24, 2017
    8,197
    So. EA has said they will appeal the judges decision, so good luck on that to them.

    ---

    What's more interesting is this Dutch article: https://tweakers.net/nieuws/173994/...acks-voor-aanschaf-te-tonen-in-nederland.html

    EA had suggested the Valve approach to the gambling authority. I.e. they wanted to show the content of a single pack and upon buying it, show you the contents of the next pack, etc. They were denied by the authority, who said this would still be gambling. This was in response to the gambling authority suggesting to just sell the cards outright for a set price, or in other words a "direct buy." EA called theirs a "variant of direct buy."
     
  • Index
    • Sadist

    Sadist

    One Winged Slayer
    The Fallen
    Oct 25, 2017
    5,334
    Holland
    Actual response towards EA



    But good thing to see. Hope EA gets slapped around in regards to their despicable nonsense.
     
    Cugel

    Cugel

    ▲ Legend ▲
    Member
    Nov 7, 2017
    4,415
    Only logical that online gambling would be classified as online gambling.
     
    Yrch

    Yrch

    Member
    Oct 29, 2017
    502
    Nice done my Flat-land neighbors!
    Fuck FUT and all this other shit.
    I hope the trend catches on in other countries.
    I hope the USK will go a similar route and label all games with Loot Boxes FSK18 and force them to add huge ass labels to their games with warnings about loot boxes and shit.

    C'mon USK you can crap age stickers all over out games and movie cover so you can just add a bunch more. Fuck those greedy bastards up.
     
    PaulLFC

    PaulLFC

    Member
    Oct 27, 2017
    3,167
    Great news, although the maximum fine of 10 million euros is less so.

    EA might make more than that from Ultimate Team in the Netherlands, so if they do, what's to stop them just paying the fine and carrying on as if nothing happened? The fine shouldn't have had an upper limit, IMO.
     
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