The Netherlands 1st at declaring lootboxes as illegal...asking developers for changes

But that's the exact same as with items in all other games. I really don't think a judge is going to fall for that technicality. Well, perhaps a Dutch judge will. Those will never stop surprising me with how gullible they are.

 

I watched the entire thing yesterday, and predicted the outcome. The green party (I actually really was impressed with Klavers' persistence in the debate) hadn't requested 45 minutes, I'm not sure the coalition would have been able to get their people together. Fr the majority of the debate, the room was mostly empty. It filled up right after the 45 minute break, because it was pretty obvious there'd be a vote, and by now it's also known it'll be turned into a head-count vote.

It's seriously worrying how every member of the coalition votes along with the party, even though the Constitution clearly states they should vote as they please.

 

Belgium is moving, too. Tick, tock.

https://www.greenmangaming.com/news...-and-cs-go-in-breach-of-gambling-regulations/

 

It's actually insane that this has been going on for so many years.

 

Oh, they'll know...

 

Maybe someone ought to alert the Dutch authorities to MindArk's lootboxes. Reading McC's linked article, it seems they actually evaluate whether or not the lootboxes offered in CS:GO are deemed to be gambling under their rules.

This of course means that either way, there would be more clarity on whether or not MA's claim that EU/EUs lootboxes cannot be considered gambling holds any truth. If it is in fact gambling, fair enough, MA'd have to stop offering lootboxes to Dutch participants. If it is not gambling, they can use that conclusion to further prove their own claims.

 

I actually consider myself a light form of libertarian, and am very much against government intrusion, as well as a strong supporter of holding people accountable for their own actions.

With that said, that does pose a responsibility onto parties engaging with others to be honest and truthful in their communication, and that's where I feel MA is not. Considering there is a definition of gambling, and MA always saying their game is NOT in fact, gambling (despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary), I at least think it'd be nice to get an independent evaluation of the mechanisms.

However, I'll not be the one setting this stuff in motion. I'm actually merely interested in the outcome. Either way, it'll not have an effect on me whatsoever.

 

I have never felt I was on the same side as MindArk. MA goes well out of their way to enforce that thought, too, every time they yap about something new, and then spectacularly fail to deliver, if at all. I feel it every time one of the countless bugs that hinder players are left in the system for years, while anything that costs MA money is instantly resolved. Their complete inability for self-reflection, their unwillingness to learn from their mistakes, their lack of ability and/or willingness to communicate, the way they fuck over their partners time and time again. It's VERY obvious that this is MA against everyone else. So no, I am *not* on the same side as MA. Never have been, never will be. I'm a customer, they're a piss-poor provider of a service. A service that is so overpriced in my book, I barely ever bother depositing anymore.

And I honestly don't care if there's an understanding with the existing customer base that deep down, this is gambling. What bothers me in this is that newcomers who might get attracted by some press release about EU lack that feeling, and get suckered into the casino. There's a very good reason gambling laws exist, and that's simply because gambling can be addictive to people. Calling it a game does not make it one. Calling it an investment opportunity (lol) does not make it so. EU is gambling. Crafting is gambling. Mining is gambling, with a tiny bit of skill/experience involved. Hunting the same. But deep down, every single time you look a creature, you plain and simple are just pulling a level on a slot machine, the odds of which are secret/undocumented by its provider.

Lootboxes might or might not be gambling. Yes, you get a bunch of items with a base value back. Yet, the element of chance might make it far more likely for someone to buy more lootboxes than they intended, because maybe their next one will contain a unique ring they might be able to sell for a few thousand dollars. We'll never know, until the odds are provided. And once they are provided, it'll be amazingly clear it's gambling.

I also don't subscribe to the notion that all it takes is one disgruntled employee or customer. If the game is not gambling, like MA always has claimed, there's no risk in being investigated. After all, it's not gambling, and thus no harm will be done. Alternatively, if it does lead to MA having to shut shop because it's gambling, they've lied to you for all these years.