Fifteen different gambling regulators from Europe and the United States have come together to take a stance against loot boxes and third-party sites that promote gambling.
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Organized by the 2018 Gambling Regulators European Forum (via Eurogamer), the 15 gambling regulators “have signed an agreement to work together to address the risks created by the blurring of lines between gaming and gambling.” The regulators hail mostly from Europe with 14 of the signatories aligned with the declaration against gambling practices in games from countries like France, Spain, Ireland, Poland, and other European nations. Washington State also joins the declaration as the fifteenth regulator and the only one from the United States.
The goal of this declaration against what are perceived by the regulators to be shady and sometimes illegal practices in games is to crack down on the third-party sites that allow for in-game loot to be betted on and redistributed. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, for example, it a game with several of these third-party sites surrounding it that allow players to swap cosmetics through what amounts to gambling, the UK Gambling Commission’s announcement regarding the declaration said. The regulators are calling for both the video game industry and “technology platforms” to do their part in working to bring an end to the gambling practices found on these sites while also ensuring that in-game loot boxes “do not constitute gambling under national laws.”
“We have joined forces to call on video games companies to address the clear public concern around the risks gambling and some video games can pose to children,” said Neil McArthur, chief executive and signatory for the Gambling Commission on the declaration. “We encourage video games companies to work with their gambling regulators and take action now to address those concerns to make sure that consumers, and particularly children, are protected.”
A full list of all the regulators participating in the initiative can be seen below as well as through the full declaration’s text.
- Signe Birne, Director of Lotteries and Gambling Supervisory Inspection of Latvia
- Karel Blaha, Director of the State Oversight Over Gambling Department, Czech Republic
- Steve Brennan, Chief Executive, Gambling Supervision Commission, Isle of Man
- Charles Coppolani, Chair of the French Online Gaming Regulatory Authority
- Juan Espinosa Garcรญa, CEO, Directorate General for Gambling Regulation, Spain
- Heathcliff Farrugia, Chief Executive Officer, Malta Gaming Authority
- Jason Lane, Chief Executive, Jersey Gambling Commission
- Andrew Lyman, Executive Director, Gambling Division, HM Government of Gibraltar
- Brendan Mac Namara, Principal Officer, Gambling Policy Division, Department of Justice and Equality of Ireland
- Teresa Monteiro, Vice-President of Turismo de Portugal, I.P
- Henrik Nordal, Director Deputy General, Norwegian Gaming Authority
- Jan Suyver, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Netherlands Gambling Authority
- Neil McArthur, Chief Executive Officer, UK Gambling Commission
- Paweล Gruza, Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Finance, Poland
- Alfred Hacker, Director, Federal Ministry of Finance, Austria
- David Trujillo, Director, Washington State Gambling Commission
