A court in the Netherlands has slapped EA with a €10 Million fine because of the loot boxes the developer has within its games. Pay-to-win loot boxes have officially been considered a violation of the Betting and Gaming Act which is why the fine has been issued.
The Netherlands Gambling Authority or Kansspelautoriteit/Ksa determined that EA's loot boxes were considered exposure to gambling. From GamesIndustry.Biz, the regulator says that "The Ksa believes it is crucial to shield vulnerable groups, such as minors, from exposure to gambling. For that reason, the Ksa supports a strict separation between gaming and gambling. Gamers are often young and therefore particularly susceptible to developing an addiction. As such, gambling elements have no place in games."
EA's defence in the case revolved around FIFA's Ultimate Team Packs not containing items that can be directly converted into currency. You cannot, technically, sell the items that you earn within Ultimate Team packs. However, this doesn't stand up when items are valued at nearly €2,000 according to GI.Biz.
The same report also mentions that EA, once the fine was put in place, requested that the amount of money should not be disclosed to the public. The company claimed that telling the public the fine would hurt the reputation of the brand and harm their business once disclosed. This request, obviously, was denied and we know two fines of €5 million were placed on the brand.
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FIFA is not the only game series under EA's umbrella that contains loot boxes and "surprise mechanics" for players to buy into, but it is certainly one of it's biggest earners. Ultimate Team packs, in particular, give gamers players which can change the performance of the match due to the stats of the players. Many other games also use loot boxes within their gameplay, however, they're often more cosmetic based like in the cases of Apex Legends and Overwatch.
Featured Image Credit: EATopics: EA