Advocates in Lower Saxony push for tighter regulations on loot boxes in digital games.
Unleashing the Horses: The New Crusade Against Loot Boxes in Video Games
Article Edited by Yannick Schroth and Angela Burke. Published on: 27.02.2025. Last updated: 29.04.2025.
The Lower Saxony State Parliament has set its sights on stricter regulation of online games with gambling-like elements, such as loot boxes. These controversial mechanisms have garnered significant attention due to their potential to entice young players to spend money repeatedly (symbolic image).
Minister of Consumer Protection Miriam Staudte put it bluntly: "It's like a gateway into gambling—offering a temptation without knowing what you're buying."
State Parliament Pushes for Change
The SPD, Greens, and CDU backed the resolution, whilst the AfD abstained. The goal? Strengthen regulation at the EU level, which could lead to an age rating of 18 for games containing loot boxes, mandatory labeling of addictive elements, and a more transparent pricing structure. These measures could impact popular games like the latest EAFC, which received its first age rating of 12.
Intriguingly, the Higher Regional Court of Vienna (OLG Wien) in Austria recently ruled in October 2024 that loot boxes in EA's FIFA games are not gambling—echoing a decision from the previous year. However, this stance has sparked heated discussion among consumer advocates and experts.
Belgium has already taken action against games like Overwatch and CS:GO, forcing developers to modify their monetization models. It's possible that Riot Games' League of Legends could face similar changes soon.
The European Union's current consumer protection reforms focus on curtailing manipulative practices, such as loot boxes and predatory monetization, driven by enforcement actions and policy shifts. Germany, known for its proactive stance on loot boxes, is likely to adopt stricter enforcement of existing EU consumer laws, potentially leading to EU-wide bans.
EA Sports FC (FC 25) may face structural overhauls, such as permanent availability of Ultimate Team packs or guaranteed item disclosures. For its part, League of Legends might need to display drop rates in real-time pricing terms or disable loot boxes in markets with gambling bans to remain compliant.
The regulatory shift points toward the establishment of standardized consumer safeguards, though it may increase compliance costs for developers.
Join us for the gluecksspielwesen.de conference on March 6, 2025, from 10:00 to 12:00, where experts from politics, science, and industry will shed light on the issue from various perspectives. Register for the webinar here to participate in the discussion.
Controversy surrounding loot boxes continues. German streamer Trymacs (30) recently criticized pay-to-win mechanics in EA Sports FC25, labeling the loot boxes in the Ultimate Team game mode as illegal gambling.
Stay tuned for further developments in this fascinating saga.
- What is the Lower Saxony State Parliament's plan regarding online games with gambling-like elements? They aim to strengthen regulation, potentially leading to an age rating of 18, mandatory labeling of addictive elements, and a more transparent pricing structure.
- Intriguingly, the Higher Regional Court of Vienna in Austria recently ruled that loot boxes in EA's FIFA games are not gambling, but this stance has sparked heated discussion among consumer advocates and experts.
- The SPD, Greens, and CDU in the State Parliament have backed a resolution to strengthen regulation at the EU level, while the AfD abstained. If successful, this could impact popular games like EAFC.
- However, Belgium has already taken action against games like Overwatch and CS:GO, forcing developers to modify their monetization models, suggesting that Riot Games' League of Legends could face similar changes soon.
- The regulatory shift towards standardized consumer safeguards may increase compliance costs for developers, but it could also establish needed safeguards and potentially lead to EU-wide bans on loot boxes, as Germany is known for its proactive stance on this issue.
