Electronic Arts has joined the ranks of companies pulling out of Belgium after the country declared loot boxes in video games as illegal gambling. The company made the announcement today, stating that FIFA Points (an in-game currency that must be purchased) will no longer be sold in Belgium as of January 31, 2019.

FIFA players will still be able to purchase card packs with coins earned within the game, though it's a tough grind to purchase packs. Even once players have them, the odds of getting valuable cards are certainly stacked against them - and that's exactly why FIFA points have been such a great revenue generator for EA.

Electronic Arts has made it clear that it still disagrees with Belgium regarding its stance on loot boxes equating to gambling:

While we are taking this action, we do not agree with Belgian authorities’ interpretation of the law, and we will continue to seek more clarity on the matter as we go forward. The impact of this change to FIFA Ultimate Team in Belgium is not material to our financial performance.

Electronic Arts started showing the odds of getting certain types of cards in its FIFA cards packs this year, but the manner in which the company does so has still left consumers unhappy. For example, a recent Team Of The Year Promotion simply listed the highly-valued limited edition cards as having less than a 1% chance of appearing in each pack, but that figure could mean anything from 0.9% to 0.0003%.

FIFA 19 Gameplay

Given that the Netherlands has declared certain forms of loot boxes illegal, it's still up in the air whether a similar change will be made in the country. Regulations in Britain may also change in the post-Brexit era, so Electronic Arts will undoubtedly be keeping a close eye to see how everything unfolds.

FIFA Ultimate Team is one of the company's biggest cash cows, having been estimated to bring in about $800 million in 2017. It's unclear how much the popular trading card-based game mode is worth in today's market, but rest assured: there's a reason why EA wasn't as quick as other companies to pull out of Belgium.

Source: Electronic Arts