FIFA’s Ultimate Team blow and could have to be regulated under new gambling laws over ‘loot boxes and microtransactions’
ULTIMATE Team on FIFA could be regulated under gambling laws in the UK.
The House of Lords Gambling Committee have expressed their concerns over loot boxes.
Loot boxes on Ultimate Team offer a randomised reward ranging from bronze to silver or gold cards.
The Lords claim this mode should be categorised as “games of chance” – meaning it falls under the Gambling Act 2005.
According to the BBC, the report states: “If a product looks like gambling and feels like gambling, it should be regulated as gambling.
“The government must act immediately to bring loot boxes within the remit of gambling legislation and regulation.”
Ultimate Team users can spend with virtual coins they have earned in the game – but many opt to use real cash when purchasing packs on FIFA.
Fans can find themselves getting carried away as they desperately look to bolster their squads.
These microtransactions could be regulated to reduce the risk involved with the game.
In July 2019, four children emptied their parents’ bank account in a desperate bid to unlock Lionel Messi on FIFA 19.
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The youngsters splashed out £550 on packs before their parents had even realised.
And one mother issued a warning to other parents after her son spent her entire month’s wages on Fifa.
Loot boxes were banned in Belgium in 2018 for this very reason.