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The Regulatory Authority for Online Gaming (ARJEL) criticized the object boxes in a new report, although the organization did not take any concrete legal action.
ARJEL is the latest European regulator to evaluate the controversial monetization model, others in Belgium and the Netherlands deeming the practice illegal after the conclusion of their own investigations.
Unlike his counterparts, however, the ARJEL decided not to sue. In a report, dissected by Sebastian Schwiddessen, associated with the media law, the ARJEL explains that the requirements of the game in France are essentially the same as in most jurisdictions in that they generally involve a stake, a chance and a price.
The regulator then asserts that booty boxes undermine current public gambling policy because they are accessible to minors, are not transparent and may even give rise to "habits and reflexes" Introduce children to other forms of play.
Up to here, the report seems relatively close to those published elsewhere, with the ARJEL also suggesting that booties share many similarities with slot machines, in part because they give players the impression of having missed the price that they really wanted.
It also indicates that loot boxes may be considered games of chance if prizes can be sold for real money, and especially if publishers allow off-platform trading
. previously, but while it was enough for regulators in other regions to declare certain forms of loot boxes illegal, ARJEL instead decided to vote for a more "combined and coordinated" analysis.
The group believes that European financial regulators will be able to provide a more consistent assessment of microtransactions in games, and suggested that national gaming policies should share the common goal of preventing the dangers that might arise from gambling. booty practices.
In terms of practical actions, the regulator proposes to distance consumers from the dangers of microstransactions, "both on the integrity of the gambling offer and on that of gambling. "addiction", and to alert parents about the risks to minors.
As Schwiddessen notes, however, these comments could "be easily filed under regulatory filings without commitment", and the jurist doubts that they will do much to limit the use of surprise boxes and d & rsquo; Other microtransactions in France.
"While the comments of the ARJEL are very critical and certainly not a good press, they are also without commitment and nonspecific", he wrote in his article on Linkedin
"In total, he It is unlikely that any action is likely to be taken under the French law on gambling and it seems that the strict Belgian and Dutch decisions will remain an exception for two very small markets. "
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