Compliance Updates
Austrian Supreme Court Says Loot Boxes Aren’t Gambling
The Supreme Court of Austria has ruled that loot boxes in Electronic Arts’ FIFA Ultimate Team do not count as gambling under the country’s Gambling Act. A group of plaintiffs had argued that EA’s randomised digital packs offering a chance to obtain rare footballers amounted to unlawful gambling, but the court disagreed.
In the decision, the judges clarified the definition of a game of chance as a “game in which the outcome depends solely or predominantly on chance.” While loot boxes involve a random allocation of items, the judges emphasised that players influence the outcome of the game itself through tactics, strategy and controller skills.
“The plaintiffs have failed to prove that the game in question is one in which the outcome depends exclusively or predominantly on chance,” the judgment states.
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