Austrian court rules loot boxes as illegal gambling

Regulation

PlayStation has been ordered to refund Austrian FIFA players after a court ruled that FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT) packs are a form of gambling.

A court in Hermagor ruled that the football game’s FUT packs violated the country’s gambling laws.

The Hermargor District Court in Austria has determined that FIFA Ultimate Team packs are “licensable games of chance” and that they have a “financial benefit within the meaning of the Austrian Gambling Act” because they can be resold on a secondary market, which could be a potential source of profit.

Sony has a right to appeal, and since this is a smaller regional court, it will no doubt work its way up through the Austrian and European courts over the next few years.

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