Loot boxes declared as ‘not gambling’ by UK government



As Jim Sterling puts it - if it looks and acts like a slot machine then it's a f***ing slot machine.

So disappointing, we had the chance to really change the greedy core of a lot of games these days and then go and bottle it. Basically saying, "Can't officially sell winnings..then it's not gambling." What a load of shite. Someone's been paid off.
 
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silas80 said:
As Jim Sterling puts it - if it looks and acts like a slot machine then it's a f***ing slot machine.

So disappointing, we had the chance to really change the greedy core of a lot of games these days and then go and bottle it. Basically saying, "Can't officially sell winnings..then it's not gambling." What a load of shite. Someone's been paid off.
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Surely it’s worse if there’s no monetary value attached to it!
 
Dexter said:
Surely it’s worse if there’s no monetary value attached to it!
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^ That. Buying anything and getting nothing more than an item that will be deemed worthless in a few years on a computer game is unethical at the best of times.

I just don't get young'uns these days, paying money every week because Fortnite has released a new skin that everyone has to lap up in order to be relevant. Crazy. Back in my day you would have to go out and actually play the game to get the best stuff, not just pay for it.

I play Escape from Tarkov and every few months the game is wiped as it is in BETA still and some crazy fuckers actually pay for ingame currency. The game is so easy enough anyways to actually get money and items and once you have them the game goes stale, then your money is gone anywhere from a month to 3 months anyways. Absolute crazy.

And don't get me started on Twitch/Youtube subscriptions/gifts. Idiots paying good money to watch someone else play a computer game. Why not use that money and play it yourself!? Then you see the guy playing the game bragging about his new car/house/gadget from the money people have been throwing at them. Madness. Don't mind people chucking a few quid here and there to keep them going, but some lads chuck thousands and thousands at them.
 
SAFC_Jack said:
We have very open laws on gambling tbf - most other European countries have gambling ran by the state. Other than Malta, for some reason.
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What I mean is the reason it's not gambling here is that there's no monetary value to sell the products on. That's not true in all games (CSGO off the top of my head). But if every game has 3rd party auction sites I reckon a better argument would have been made.
 
Loot boxes are a weird one. They're like these "random packs" of toys you can get at toy shops. You pay for something you can't see, open it, and if it's not the one the kid wants then you'll have to buy another one, and another one, and another one, until they get the one they want. By that time they've stacked up a pile of ones they don't want.

I guess it's no different from football stickers back in my school days. It's clearly a con but the kids will still want them. At least with football stickers there's the ability to swap your duplicates with other kids to an extent, but there isn't really the same scene for random pack toys, and loot boxes in games mostly can't be swapped with other players.

I'd be fine with all these things to be considered "gambling" and be banned for people under 18 (and from the toy industry completely).
 
Some Random Guy said:
I understand the rationale. Our definition of gambling is the issue, that has what has forced this decision.
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Looking at their site I think it's closest to FOB in terms of definition.

What is gambling?

There's formulaic odds of getting a shiny Ronaldo or a bronze Wyke from a pack so there's clearly some kind of value attached just in terms of rarity.

Smells a bit of "we can't be arsed" just saying there's no monetary value when you're effectively gambling real money on getting these good cards.
 
Giddup Sausage! said:
^ That. Buying anything and getting nothing more than an item that will be deemed worthless in a few years on a computer game is unethical at the best of times.

I just don't get young'uns these days, paying money every week because Fortnite has released a new skin that everyone has to lap up in order to be relevant. Crazy. Back in my day you would have to go out and actually play the game to get the best stuff, not just pay for it.

I play Escape from Tarkov and every few months the game is wiped as it is in BETA still and some crazy fuckers actually pay for ingame currency. The game is so easy enough anyways to actually get money and items and once you have them the game goes stale, then your money is gone anywhere from a month to 3 months anyways. Absolute crazy.

And don't get me started on Twitch/Youtube subscriptions/gifts. Idiots paying good money to watch someone else play a computer game. Why not use that money and play it yourself!? Then you see the guy playing the game bragging about his new car/house/gadget from the money people have been throwing at them. Madness. Don't mind people chucking a few quid here and there to keep them going, but some lads chuck thousands and thousands at them.
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sheer f***ing lunacy, i used to love proper PC gaming years ago where mods,skin etc were all created by community members and all free of charge...

anyone who hoys some nonce money and spends hours watching them play a game they could be playing is also a NONCE....my mate used to sit and watch these gamer lasses on nightshift basically they wore low cut tops had big chebs and were getting gifts and all sorts for playing zelda and showing abit TIT

f***ing LUNACY
 
Spennymackem1981 said:
sheer f***ing lunacy, i used to love proper PC gaming years ago where mods,skin etc were all created by community members and all free of charge...

anyone who hoys some nonce money and spends hours watching them play a game they could be playing is also a NONCE....my mate used to sit and watch these gamer lasses on nightshift basically they wore low cut tops had big chebs and were getting gifts and all sorts for playing zelda and showing abit TIT

f***ing LUNACY
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Not seen nonce accusations thrown around this casually since Carl Beech. 🙄
 

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