Riot Games is being sued in Belgium over its paid loot box mechanics

Riot Games, the developer of League of Legends, has been sued in Belgium for its paid loot box mechanism. A Belgian couple has formally filed a complaint with the regulator, accusing Riot Games of violating Belgium's strict anti-gambling regulations by offering paid loot boxes.

Loot boxes are a random reward mechanism where players can purchase loot boxes using in-game currency and receive random items, consumables, or cosmetic rewards (such as skins). Since in-game currency can usually be purchased with real money, opponents consider it a form of gambling.

In recent years, gambling regulators in many countries have discussed this issue and adopted varying degrees of restrictions. Belgium conducted a detailed investigation in 2018 and ultimately ruled that paid loot boxes are gambling behaviors and need to be regulated. Many game companies have been forced to modify their mechanisms or stop providing such content. However, Riot Games' approach is not subject to the same standards, which has sparked controversy.

"League of Legends" originally provided Hextech chests as a player reward mechanism. Players with outstanding performance could receive up to four free chests per month, containing rewards such as skins, in-game currency, and character actions.

However, Riot Games gradually weakened the access to Hextech chests and finally announced that it would completely remove this reward system. The company required players to directly purchase skins or use real money to buy loot boxes, which caused strong dissatisfaction in the community.

Riot Games defended the decision by citing profit pressure, claiming that players were overly generous with free rewards, which led to a decline in sales of paid in-game skins, affecting the company's revenue.

Belgium has long considered paid loot boxes to be gambling and required companies to comply with relevant laws. In 2018, the Belgian Gambling Commission officially ruled that loot boxes are gambling and required game companies to comply with relevant regulations.

In this lawsuit against Riot Games, the plaintiff couple stated that the loot box mechanism would expose minors to gambling, and that Riot Games was not subject to the same regulatory standards as other companies, which violated the principle of fair competition.

Currently, the Belgian Gambling Commission has begun an investigation into Riot Games. If any violations are found, the company may be required to adjust the game mechanism or directly ban "League of Legends" from providing loot boxes in the Belgian market.