Belgium’s ruling told publishers to take paid loot boxes out of their games or risk prosecution. In April 2018 the country’s Gaming Commission found that the loot boxes in FIFA 18, Overwatch and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive broke Belgian gambling law. Justice minister Koen Geens demanded their removal. Publishers that refused faced up to five years in prison and fines of up to €800,000, doubled where children were involved, Eurogamer reported.

Five years on, the picture was odder. The ban still stood, but the regulator had not enforced it for lack of resources, according to a 2023 review of loot box law in GamesIndustry.biz.

What a loot box is, and why Belgium objected

A loot box lets a player pay real money for a random chance at a virtual item. The Guardian likened it to a slot machine where every spin pays out something, but rarely the thing you want.

Belgium’s interest began with a Star Wars game. After the row over that game’s loot boxes in late 2017, Geens asked the Gaming Commission to investigate. He warned that mixing gambling with gaming at a young age endangers “the mental health of the child”. He also said Belgium would push for a ban across Europe.

Which games had to change

The commission examined four games. Only Battlefront 2 passed, and only because EA had already stripped out its loot boxes after the launch backlash. The other three were declared illegal games of chance.

The publishers did not all accept the finding. EA told Eurogamer it did not accept that its games were “any form of gambling”. Valve said it was happy to answer the commission’s questions. Geens asked for talks with the industry to settle who would remove the boxes, and Belgium set no deadline.

Why the ban reaches adults too

Belgium’s gambling law has an unusually wide definition, so loot boxes cannot legally be sold there to children or to adults, GamesIndustry.biz explains. That makes it stricter than the Netherlands. The highest Dutch administrative court decided that loot boxes generally fall outside gambling law. In July 2023 the Dutch government said it was pursuing a ban modelled on Belgium’s.

Compliance without a police officer

An unenforced law has still changed behaviour. Roblox Corporation has taken compliance action in Belgium, according to the 2023 review. The same review argues that firms would be wise to obey regardless, since major platforms, storefronts and publishers will demand it.