Six political parties from the House of Representatives have submitted a motion to investigate whether loot boxes can also be banned in the Netherlands, just like in Belgium, it has been discovered. ResetEra user poklane (through VGC†
CDA, CU, VVD, SP, D66 and GroenLinks have supported a motion to ban loot boxes. After the judge previously ruled for FIFA Ultimate Team (and therefore also NBA2K, which was struggling with a similar case) that there was no question of a game of chance, new steps seem to be taken to combat the phenomenon.
The motion, in which the ruling of the Council of State is also named, is as follows:
“The House, after hearing the deliberation, noted that video games manipulate children into microtransactions and that so-called loot boxes also involve a form of gambling; noting that these transactions are addictive and can burden families with unexpected bills for these transactions, with all the disruptive consequences that entails; noting that consumer associations from eighteen European countries are jointly asking for the regulation of these loot boxes; noting that the Netherlands Gaming Authority has made an attempt to regulate these loot boxes, but that the Council of State has ultimately failed to do so noting that these loot boxes are prohibited in Belgium; asks the government to look for a possibility to also ban these loot boxes in video games in the Netherlands and to amend the law for this purpose where necessary, and will proceed to the order of the day.”
In the motion, the chamber notes that children “are manipulated into microtransactions and that so-called loot boxes also involve gambling”. In addition, it points out that families can expect unexpected bills for these transactions, with disruptive consequences. Finally, it refers to the ban on loot boxes in Belgium, where this is stipulated by law.
Due to this motion, it seems a matter of time before this legislation will actually come into effect, since the parties that have submitted the motion have a large majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
