Star Wars Battlefront II was a major black eye for EA, who after fan uproar, and even possibly an angry phone call from Disney, had to turn off the microtransactions in the game, at least for now. This scandal caused gambling commissions all over the world to start independent investigations into the practices of the loot boxes, and whether this constitutes a form of gambling, that then must be either banned or regulated.
Different countries obviously operate under different laws and definitions, and now the Danish gambling authority is ready to weigh in. They've published an official statement on their website, and they've surmised that loot boxes aren't covered by the Danish gaming act, as it does not meet all three criteria:
1. There must be a deposit
2. There must be an element of coincidence
3. There must be a win (if the prize is a fictitious item, it should be able to translate it into financial terms)
"The winnings obtained in a loot box in Star Wars Battlefront 2 cannot be converted into financial means, as the fictional items in the loot box can not be sold or otherwise converted into money. Therefore, loot boxes in their present form in Star Wars Battlefront 2 are not covered by the gaming act."
However, the Director of the Danish Gambling Authority Birgitte Sand does point out, that they are monitoring loot boxes in video games and concerned that they target young children.
"We follow the developments in the field; especially because loot boxes and the like are typically found in games that are largely aimed at children and we have a special obligation to protect children and young people. However, I would like to emphasize the importance of parents taking an interest in the games their children play and to talk about responsible gaming behaviour. Then we may hopefully avoid unfortunate situations where minors spend money they should not have used."
What do you think? Should loot boxes be considered gambling and is the definition really important?