Austrian Court: FIFA Loot Boxes Are Gambling

A court in Austria has determined that FIFA loot boxes are indeed a type of gambling and that the video game's maker and distributors to label the products accordingly moving forward.

The ruling was made due to the fact that loot box content is determined by chance and that are either worth more or less than the value paid for the box. This constitutes gambling, according to the court, and is therefore in violation of Austrian law.

The case was brought before the court as a group of players sued video game group Sony after they spend money on FIFA Ultimate Team loot box card packs. The court ruled that Sony has to refund €338.26 to the affected players. The bigger move though, is that any games featuring loot boxes will have to obtain a licence to be able to provide the boxes in the country, and there'd likely be a ban on selling the game to minors.

Sony does have the right to appeal the decision.

No comment from Sony was available at press time.