European regulators are concerned about blurring the line between gambling and video games
Difficult times may come very soon for the gaming industry. 15 gaming regulators in Europe, together with the Washington State Gambling Commission, have signed an agreement. Its purpose: to find out the threats posed by the integration of elements of gambling entertainment in video games.
By elements, we mean such mechanics as loot boxes (buying a random selection of virtual goods) and skinbetting (using a game skin as a bet). The document also mentions social casinos.
These things, according to state regulators, blur the boundaries between gambling and video games. Moreover, they are available to underage audiences without any restrictions.
The ministries that signed the agreements believe that these elements are extremely close to the products that are currently subject to regulation in each jurisdiction.
So far, we are not talking about working on a video game licensing system. Regulators intend only to analyze the situation and identify preventive measures that minimize the harm that gambling elements can cause to society and children.
Another task of the signed document is to establish a dialogue between regulators and sectors of the gaming industry.
Among others, the agreement was signed: The Gambling Commission of Great Britain, the Ministry of Finance of the Czech Republic, the Administration for the Regulation of Online Gambling of France (ARJEL), the General Directorate for the Regulation of Gambling of Spain (DGOJ), the Ministry of Finance of Poland, the Washington State Gambling Commission already mentioned above, and others.
Earlier, the governments of Belgium and the Netherlands have already ordered a number of large gaming companies to remove loot boxes from regional versions of their games. In particular, 2K Games has changed the monetization of NBA 2K18 in both countries. Blizzard and Valve were also forced to make changes to their games.
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