Austria considers FIFA UltimateTeam envelopes as bets

In recent years, the world of video games has been the scene of many controversies. Especially when it comes to aspects related to betting. One of the most controversial topics is the FIFA Ultimate Team envelopes. The envelopes are purchased with real money, and you can earn in-game rewards by opening them.

Recently, Austria has raised the issue of whether this constitutes gambling, and the Austrian court has ruled on the subject. The issue came to light when Belgium and the Netherlands banned FIFA 23 Ultimate Team envelopes, which were considered a form of gambling. This has triggered a flurry of discussion and debate worldwide, and many countries are now considering their regulations.

Control over video games

Video game control is a topic that has been discussed for a very long time. Fortunately, more and more countries are making efforts to control it. However, developers, for their part, continue to insist on using the micropayment method as one of their primary sources of income.

As time passes, it becomes evident that even some classic titles are being withdrawn from the market for being incompatible with the new pricing scheme.

From one moment to the next, it seems that studios and publishers opted to limit the gaming experience. Players must continually go to the cashier to buy booster packs, chests, and other items.

Austrian FIFA players file a class action lawsuit

Many countries are progressing in limiting this problem in video games as much as possible, and now we know that Austria is joining the movement.

In Austria, a group of players has filed a class action lawsuit claiming that FIFA Ultimate Team envelopes constitute gambling. So they should be regulated as such.

It’s interesting to note that EA Sports was not named in the complaint, the game developer. The lawsuit is against Sony, the platform provider on which the transactions on which the complaint is based took place.

A court in Austria has ruled that the FIFA Ultimate Team packages are gambling; therefore, Sony has to refund the money to the affected players, VGC reports, putting EA in check once again. Austrian gamers who sued Sony received a response from a district court in Hermagor. Sony must now pay those affected € 338.26.

Lawyer Ulrich Salburg points out that it is forbidden by Austrian gaming rules to spend money on a FIFA Ultimate Team random envelope system. So far, EA has not yet given a response to the situation.

Regulations on loot boxes

Although several nations want to control loot boxes, it seems that EA is still open to keeping this mechanism until there is a total ban, as in Belgium. On the other hand, very soon Spain joins this movement. The government of Spain is working on launching a regulation to control the use of loot boxes by children.

Header: EA Sports