EA to remove 'FIFA points' in Belguim to combat gambling

Electronic Arts have announced it is removing FIFA points in Belguim effective January 31, following "discussions with Belgian authorities".

This means that players in Belgium will not be able to purchase points or 'loot boxes' to obtain FIFA Ultimate Team packs, though they can still access Ultimate Team and play with their existing players.

A loot box is a consumable virtual item which can be redeemed to receive a randomized selection of further virtual items and the Belgian authorities have declared them illegal.

According to BBC, failure to comply may lead to a fine of €800,000 and up to five years in prison for the publishers.

Big news here in the world of FIFA. Belgium isn't the game's biggest market, of course, but you can tell EA's super pissed it's having to do this https://t.co/gTmzYps0cl

— Wesley Yin-Poole (@wyp100) January 29, 2019

In a statement, FIFA apologised to players for the change.

"We seek to bring choice, fairness, value and fun to our players in all our games.

"In addition to providing players options in how they play, we include pack probabilities in our games for the transparency players want to make informed content choices.

"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."