In 2020, the court ruled that FIFA was guilty of offering gambling activities. The popular FIFA loot boxes were considered a kind of lottery, which made it seen as gambling. However, the administrative case law of the Council of State ruled otherwise today, revoking the imposed fine of $11,000,000. The judge ruled that these FIFA loot boxes are not a game of chance.
For years, parties have debated whether loot boxes in video games are a form of gambling. All this time the answer remained unclear. A new court ruling in New Zealand regarding EA Games, a division of Electronic Arts and FIFA player packs, which fall into the same category as loot boxes, does not help solve the problem (internationally).
In 2018, The New Zealand Gaming Authority (KSA) claimed that EA Games offered a gaming opportunity through its FIFA Ultimate Team. The video game company was subsequently fined, as the KSA claimed the player packs were in breach of New Zealand gambling laws. EA disagreed and continued selling player packs, eventually fining EA $11 million.
EA did not accept this fine and appealed. The court explained that because the packs are not standalone products and can only be used with the FIFA video game, they are not a game of chance. As such, they do not need a permit and therefore there can be no penalty.
