According to the EU, loot boxes are not equivalent to online gambling
A study by the European Union (EU) would have concluded that the controversial loot boxes or reward boxes should be treated as a problem related to consumer protection, discouraging their link to online gambling legislation. The study, commissioned by the European Parliament's Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee, is the most comprehensive to date on the subject. We've taken a look at it.
Do the reward boxes in many video games follow a strategy similar to that of slots? A recent study commissioned by the European Parliament would confirm this and recommend a treatment of this issue from the perspective of consumer protection. ©CreativeMagic/Pixabay
The Committee for the Internal Market and Consumer Protection – or Internal Market and Consumer Protection committee - of the European Parliament would have commissioned a extensive study on the effect of loot boxes on consumers , especially those younger.
It would follow from the study that attempts to regulate reward boxes as an addictive gambling problem, that is, within gambling legislation, are for the most part unsuccessful. Therefore, it is suggested that the issue should be treated as a consumer protection issue .
Loot boxes are a problem, but of what kind?
Reward boxes are a very common element in video games. Random prizes appear in them that for free or in exchange for real or virtual money they are accessible to players. They are of recent appearance and have meant the monetization through online games.
For consumer and protection associations these chests have not gone unnoticed. Be encouraging addictive consumption and, as it would be proven, their design makes very conscious use of certain trends in our behavior that make them attractive.
Recently, one complaint against the firm Apple Inc. in California it would have drawn attention to its risks. Because of the temptation they cause, the reward boxes would be somehow introducing the youngest to the mechanism of the game , which can lead to problems of addiction and gambling addiction.
Basically it is about making a bet, which involves some risk, but which can also lead to a great reward . Various countries of the European space they have tried to legislate them in the same way that gambling in physical or online casinos is regulated; or they have even tried to ban them.
In the a new study on loot boxes commissioned by the European Parliament, all these aspects are emphasized and the risks associated with reward boxes are recognized. However, it is pointed out that the European Union, as a regulatory mechanism, has many problems in establishing effective legislation in the terms that are proposed for the game.
Within the framework of the single market, the study would be suggesting a treatment from the consumer protection perspective . Here, the European estates have a greater margin for maneuver. Since the game is in the hands of each of the Member states, legislating loot boxes as if they were slots would lead, according to the authors of the study, to a fragmented online gaming market.
As a matter of consumer protection, the EU could establish non-binding recommendations or even legislate in this regard. I could create initiatives to promote responsible consumption and awareness campaigns; or also, promote the creation of protective instruments , as apps.
In any case, and as follows from this study, reward boxes are still a problematic issue and what is now being discussed is creating the most effective mechanisms at European level to protect the most vulnerable who are usually the youngest.
