In Spain, continuous effort is making as games of chance to regulate loot boxes recently after the Ministry of Consumer Affairs launches a new consultation. Further consultation is about modifying the existing games and seeking to identify the ways to include the controversial issue.
How to amend the existing gaming law to include loot boxes as gambling, a consultation on it launched by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs.
Whether for in-game purchased taxed and for a license the game publishers should apply, to determine this, the new consultation will also seek.
Should Gaming law be Altered?
Since 2011 the gaming law has not updated in Spain, and the recent focus of the consultation is how to amend the law. The amendment of the law requires the regulatory agencies to have an opinion on the play incentives involving financial transactions and to say on the purchase of in-game.
Consultation Paper stated that, on a specific player group, the loot box phenomenon could potentially have some dangerous effect.
In November 2020, in the country, the initial effort taken to put loot boxes under the regulation. The General Directorate for the Gambling Regulation. Mikel Arana stated that introducing an amendment to the Gaming Law is the Government’s intention so that loot boxes classified as a game of chance and other virtual items available in video games for purchase with real money.
Into loot boxes, a public consultation launched last month by the Spanish Regulatory Body. The talk is about asking people whether within the existing law the issue should be regulated or not?
Or there should implement a new regulation? It also asked should loot boxes banned outright.
Levies and Licenses
The recent consultation seeks to determine whether for a license the publishers of a video game should apply in case they offer future loot boxes in the game. Furthermore, to ascertain in-game rewards, the Ministry looks into how different elements of in-games compensation could differentiate. The Ministry also focused on their customer’s transactions whether a charge should levy on or not?
