The discussion was launched by EA loot boxes in Star Wars: Battlefront II. More and more governments are interfering in the video game sector because of the ways developers try to make money from their games. So, indirectly, the player can play for real money, and that is a big problem in many countries.
This is not a problem itself, but the issue is that is possible to buy GTA money with real money. The upgrade makes it possible to buy in-game casino chips with player’s GTA money. Some players question the nature of this restriction, given that loot boxes are still allowed, but some governments have already expressed their dislike for the practice, requiring them to be considered illegal. Given the negative opinion around loot boxes, it is likely that the game developer, Rockstar Games, will ban gambling in the identified regions and keep this casino functionality restricted. Now it seems that the new GTA Online casino, launched this week, is being tightly regulated and is unavailable in several countries. The link between gambling and video games has been a hot topic debated in recent years, especially regarding loot boxes.
