The Loot box debate continues here in Europe. In a segment on Swedish Radio P3 News this morning talking about FIFA Ultimate Team, Swedish minister for public administration Ardalan Shekarabi alluded to the fact that loot boxes are being considered as gambling in Sweden.
He stated, “We are working to regain control of the gambling market as soon as possible, and to make sure that Swedish consumer protection laws apply to all actors which conduct gambling activities.”
The radio report discussed the problem of young people spending thousands of Swedish kronor on loot boxes in video games with some gamers describing their own purchasing habits as an addiction.
Shekarabi continued, “I am prepared to ask our authorities to take a closer look into the phenomena of loot boxes to examine whether there is a need for change in legislation, with the purpose of strengthening the protection of customers. I don’t want to rule out the possibility. First of all. I want to ask our authorities and experts to examine this. It is obvious that there are many people suffering from gambling addiction, who also get stuck in this type of gambling and lose money because of it.”
The Swedish government is looking to bring new laws into play by January 2019.
