Dutch Government Intends to Ban Lootboxes in Games Alltogether

The Dutch Government intends to ban the use of so-called lootboxes in games altogether in the Netherlands and aims to implement additional rules in the rest of Europe.

As spotted by videogame law researcher Leon Y. Xiao and picked up by GamesIndustry, the Dutch minister of Economic Affairs, Micky Adriaansens, has sent her consumer agenda to the House of Representatives. The agenda contains items against aggressive and misleading door sales as well as online sales, including a complete ban in The Netherlands on the use of lootboxes in games. Last year, House of Representatives member Henri Bontenbal submitted a motion to prohibit lootboxes – a motion that was broadly accepted. As filed by Bontenbal last year, lootboxes can be considered a form of gambling, which is addictive and can be harmful to families. In his motion, Bontenbal also mentioned that lootboxes are already prohibited in Belgium.

“Partly thanks to efforts by the Netherlands, the European Commission has recently improved digital consumer protection throughout the EU”, a new publication on the official website of the Dutch Government reads. “That is why the Netherlands will in any case focus on additional rules regarding so-called in-app and in-game purchases in the EU. Users, including children, are regularly actively offered the opportunity in games on their telephone, game console or computer to progress in a game or to unlock more options in an app for a fee. As far as the cabinet is concerned, there will, in any case, be a ban on ‘ loot boxes‘.”

After the publication of the article mentioned above, Leon Y. Xiao reached out to the Dutch Government about the possibly of lootboxes being banned altogether in The Netherlands. “… there are plans for the Dutch government to improve the regulations for in-game purchases, “, the reply from a spokesperson of the Dutch Government reads. “One of the goals is to ban loot boxes in games.”

Lootboxes have been a hot topic for quite some time now, and in 2018, the Belgium Government already ruled that their use of them is considered gambling. Interestingly, various parties, including major publishers such as EA, have said that lootboxes can’t be seen as a form of gambling.