Overwatch and Heroes of the Storm players in Belgium will no longer be able to purchase loot boxes and loot crates, respectively, Blizzard revealed Monday. The decision comes in compliance with a new law by the Belgian Gaming Commission that declared loot boxes a form of gambling.​

The Belgian Gaming Commission, supported by the Belgian Ministry of Justice, found paid loot boxes to be a form of gambling under local law back in April. Loot boxes from various games were ​considered illegal in Belgium following the report.


​​A Blizzard community manager updated fans on the European ​Overwatch forum and announced loot boxes in the region will be disabled. 


"While we at Blizzard were surprised by this conclusion and do not share the same opinion, we have decided to comply with their interpretation of Belgian law," the ​post read. "As a result, we have no choice but to implement measures that will prevent Overwatch and Heroes of the Storm players located in Belgium from purchasing in-game loot boxes and loot chests with real money and gems."


If the developers did not comply and remove the loot boxes, they could potentially face fines of up to $1.9 million dollars by the Belgium Gaming Commission.


Players in Belgium can no longer purchase loot boxes, but they will still be able to receive free loot boxes by regular means, such as leveling up or completing arcade games. 


Photo courtesy of Blizzard