Gambling in Germany is only permitted from the age of 18 and is regulated by gambling law. Video games are also currently being debated as to whether some of their elements are eligible for gambling. However, nothing has been officially recognized yet. However, some video games have a mechanism very similar to gambling. These can appear in the game in different ways-sometimes more obvious and sometimes hidden.
Loot Boxes
You know the so-called loot box for games such as Fortnite and FIFA 19. The virtual box is full of coveted items. This is, for example, B. a better weapon or cosmetic. In some games, a loot box will appear as you level up or win the game. However, you can also buy with virtual currency or real money.
Loot Box Issue: I don’t know what I’m getting. Boxes of various types usually indicate whether they contain weapons, items, or purely optical objects. But in the end, what’s in the loot box is left to chance. The crate can contain common or unusual items. So if you’re unlucky, you’ll only get items that are useless.
Skins Gambling and esports betting
Skins are virtual objects that allow you to change the look of your character. The coveted skins may be bought and sold for individual games within the community via platforms such as Steam. But now there are many unofficial websites where skins are traded. In the term skin gambling, you can use virtual items to play casino-like games such as roulette and coin toss. You can also bet on eSports competitions. If you lose it, you will lose the skin you used. Anyone who wins will get an additional skin. Of course, winning here also depends on your chances.
Online Casinos and Video Game Casinos
So-called online casinos are not very “hidden”. These are actually only available from the age of 18, but many sites do not enforce the required access restrictions. These fall under the definition of gambling and are extremely dangerous.
There may be a casino in the video game – see . For example, the game GTA V brought a real casino to a fictional city. Games like roulette and blackjack can be played there for GTA dollars. Cryptocurrencies can also be purchased for real money in most countries, but this is banned in Germany. Here you can only bet in-game dollars at the casino. Game developers scratch the definition of gambling with the width of the hair.