Equating lootboxes with gambling is not the end of the monetization of computer games, but a signal of the beginning of a new stage in the industry’s development.

The question about lootboxes

A report by the French regulator ARJEL says that lootboxes run counter to the state policy, but from the legal point of view they can’t be considered a form of gambling. The player gains something from purchasing lootboxes in any case, but at the same time he counts on getting a large prize. Actually this expectation of an imaginary large prize makes lootboxes gambling.

Before, lootboxes were given the same status as gambling in the Netherlands and Belgium. Popular games like Dota2 and CS:GO were banned because of it.

Alternative ways of monetization

The prohibition of lootboxes is not the end of video game monetization. According to an analyst of VentureBeat, Jeff Grubb, lootboxes will be replaced by even more refined ways of monetization. They are certainly familiar to avid gamers.

For example, the «Premium progression pass» system, which is now used in Fortnite Battle Royale. Boosting a character as one of the ways of attracting players has been around for 20 years, only now instead of pumping up a character for hundreds of hours the player can do this for money. The expert writes that such a form of monetization makes quite a large profit. Note that it has nothing to do with gambling!