A 15-year-old boy in Belgium spent approximately 37,000 euros on a free-to-play mobile game.

Loading

The equivalent of over $46,000 USD, the boy allegedly spent the money via in-app purchases on the game Game of War. Using his mother's credit card, he was accidentally able to purchase in-game gold to aid in his progress.The Belgian Gaming Commission has spoken out about the event, stating that they "need stricter rules" to prevent this from happening to other families.This isn't the first time such an event has occurred. Free-to-play is a common structure with many mobile games that keeps items and virtual currency behind pay walls, only making them available for real-world money.Recently, companies like Google and Apple have been cracking down on free-to-play games, offering refunds to parents whose children have racked up massive bills and enforcing stricter rules to prevent accidental purchases.

Cassidee is a freelance writer for various outlets around the web. You can chat with her about all things geeky on Twitter