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Dutch government seeks to ban loot boxes

The confirmation comes a day after the minister of economic and climate policy's call to action

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The Netherlands is now poised to block loot boxes in video games.

As reported by researcher Leon Y. Xiao, the Public Information Service confirmed the decision via email.

"As of this moment, there are plans for the Dutch government to improve the regulations for in-game purchases. One of the goals is to ban loot boxes in games," the statement said.

The confirmation came a day after the Dutch minister of economic and climate policy's call to action.

The Netherlands' decision to block Loot boxes comes a year after six political parties submitted a motion to the House of Representatives to ban the feature.

At the time, the motion noted that the Dutch Gambling Authority's attempt to regulate loot boxes was overturned, as the Administrative Jurisdiction Division ruled that EA had not broken the country's gambling laws with its use of loot boxes within FIFA.

Games lawyer René Otto of Dutch law firm Van Iersel Luchtman also broke down the decision in an article for GamesIndustry.biz and its possible ramifications for the global games industry.

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Jeffrey Rousseau avatar
Jeffrey Rousseau: Jeffrey joined GamesIndustry.biz in March 2021. Based in Florida, his work focused on the intersectionality of games and media. He enjoys reading, podcasts, staying informed, and learning how people are tackling issues.
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