Online gaming and gambling are now the preferred entertainment option for a lot of people. This is especially today when the gaming industry can easily reach many people thanks to mobile technology. Statistics would say that around four billion people are mobile users and surely, many of these people have played online games with their phones at some point.
Even playing online casino games is made easier and more accessible. There is no need for people to travel just so they can play their favourite casino games. For those interested to play on only the best online casino sites like livecasinoreports.com has all the information.
Now, online gaming has definitely evolved over the years and people are simply more willing to spend money on games, whether it’s gambling or not. A popular trend right now on the online gaming scene is loot boxes or crates. Now, many are asking whether opening these boxes is a form of gambling. Well, we’re here to understand what these are first and why it could actually be a form of gambling.
Video game loot boxes or prize crates are items one can get from the game being played. These boxes or crates would give the players random items and it can be of value or not. The items players can receive could be skins, weapons, avatar, or anything that could be used in the game. It could either help improve one’s gameplay or just really the appearance of the character or weapon.
An example of a mobile game with crates or loot boxes in Call of Duty Mobile or CoDM. CoDM is now one of the most popular shooting or FPS games on app stores at the moment. It is free to download with in-app purchases including crates.
The crates on this game can either be purchased or rewarded to players who achieved certain tasks or levels. The crates in this game could give the players character skins, weapons, in-game currency, and many others. There are some items from these crates that players are eager to get because of their rarity, but there are times the players only get items they won’t really use.
And so, why are people even thinking that opening such crates could be a form of gambling? Well, opening these crates is basically like playing online slot machines. It’s either you get the money or not. It’s either you get something valuable or you don’t.
Does that make these loot boxes automatically a way to gamble? The answer to this is that it really depends on how players get the crate. There are crates that one can get for free or as rewards, while there are also crates that one needs to purchase. However, purchasing them won’t guarantee that one gets what they want, and so it’s really like buying a lottery ticket.
There are already countries that now see these loot boxes differently. It used to be something that didn’t matter and just part of the game, but many are already starting to question whether these boxes should fall under the gambling category that gambling laws should be followed when games have these.
In April 2018, Belgium decided to ban loot boxes after studying or examining four games. After that, 16 jurisdictions agreed to do further research and investigations about it. Some of these jurisdictions are Isle of Man, Norway, Jersey, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Only Poland, during that time, has said the loot boxes are not gambling.
With that, legally speaking for the majority of jurisdictions, it is still uncertain whether opening these loot boxes is a form of gambling. Arguments are ongoing about this matter and people have their own opinions about it.
However, what seems to make a lot of sense at the moment is that loot boxes may be a way of gambling if these boxes are purchased with real money. If the crates are rewarded to gamers, then this is just a form of reward or a trophy for reaching a certain level or finishing a task.
Many are also saying that since purchasing loot boxes or crates is like gambling, this should be highly regulated. Kids should also be banned from purchasing loot boxes as this is a way for them to be exposed to gambling activities. For now, it’s just really best that children or minors are guided when it comes to in-game purchases.
Disclaimer: Play responsibly. Players must be over 18. For help visit https://www.gamcare.org.uk/