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Czech Republic joins global initiative to tackle gambling in video games

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The Czech Republic has decided to join an international front of 14 other countries and the state of Washington in its bid to fight gambling in video games. Children are the most vulnerable prey to this particular form of gambling. The initiative was formed to tackle the blurring lines between digital entertainment like gaming and gambling.

The following countries are going to be part of this initiative: Austria, Czech Republic with Karel Blaha that is the director of the State Oversight Over Gambling Department, France, Gibraltar, Ireland, Isle of Man, Jersey, Latvia, Malta, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, UK, The Washington State.

As video games become more popular thanks to the advances in technology, competition also heats up in the industry, which in turn leads to a mad rush for revenue. That is when new revenue streams like “soft” gambling: “loot boxes” are introduced, which are in effect a surrogate form of gambling, the initiative reckons.

Loot boxes started to appear in the US with the release of Star Wars Battlefront II, by Electronic Arts. Players began to flag that with the increasing presence of loot boxes they were being forced to gamble to improve their gameplay.

This is a clear reflection of the challenges that the video games industry has had to face since the late 1990s: production costs have continued to increase, but retail prices have remained stagnant. Loot boxes offer the opportunity to increase revenue and were firstly available in Blizzard’s Overwatch (2016) but are not regular features also in video games like FIFA 17, Middle-earth: Shadow of War, Halo 5, Gears of War 4, Forza Motorsport 7, and Star Wars Battlefront II.

In 2017 the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), which is the regulator that classify games in regards to sex, violence and other age factors refused to classify loot boxes as a type of gambling. In 2018, however, the ESBR released a new label for games that do include loot boxes or similar features.

Until now, however, there has not been a single approach to the problem with different legislators that have had different views on the subject: in Belgium, for example, the gaming regulator said that Battlefront II has loot boxes that involve money and addiction: the result was that both Belgium and Netherlands have banned games that have loot boxes.

 

Source: PraguePost


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George Miller (Gyorgy Molnar) started his career in content marketing and has started working as an Editor/Content Manager for our company in 2016. George has acquired many experiences when it comes to interviews and newsworthy content becoming Head of Content in 2017. He is responsible for the news being shared on multiple websites that are part of the European Gaming Media Network.

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Lottomatica Group FY 2024 financials and 2025 guidance

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Game Sales for Good: Kalypso Media and Humble Bundle Partner to Raise Funds for Charity

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$77,000 Raised: Supporting Oceana, One Tree Planted, and More

Publisher Kalypso Media proudly reports their initiative through partnership with Humble Bundle, raising $77,000 to support a wide variety of charities, including Oceana, One Tree Planted, Child’s Play, WWF, and Movember in 2024.

“We believe it is our responsibility at Kalypso Media to support global causes, and we are honoured to work alongside Humble Bundle to do so,” said Anika Thun, Managing Director of Kalypso Media. “Empowering gamers to enjoy our products while making a difference to meaningful causes, connects us to a larger purpose made possible through the joy of video games.”

“At Humble, we’ve always believed in the power of gaming to create positive change. Our partnership with Kalypso Media exemplifies our ongoing mission to support meaningful global causes and empower gamers to make a difference,” said Kamini Tiwari, VP of Social Impact at Humble.

Among the charities supported, there was a significant focus on environmental conservation, with Oceana and One Tree Planted. These charities focus on protecting and restoring some of our planet’s most vulnerable resources. Oceana focuses on ocean conservation and protection, including threats of overfishing, habitat destruction, oil and plastic pollution, and threatened species. One Tree Planted is dedicated to global reforestation, providing a simple way for anyone to become involved in nurturing the planet, protecting life, and inspiring hope through the power of trees.

Kalypso Media is dedicated to continuing its efforts to support global causes in 2025 and looks forward to providing ways for Kalypso Media gamers to become involved.

For more information on these charities, Humble Bundle and how you can personally support, please visit:

  • Oceana – oceana.org/
  • One Tree Planted – onetreeplanted.org/
  • Humble Bundle – humblebundle.com/

 

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ZITRO SECURES THE PRESTIGIOUS EILERS & KREJCIK GAMING (EKG) AWARD FOR LATAM’S TOP-PERFORMING GAME OF THE YEAR

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Zitro is proud to announce that Mighty Hammer Link Up has been honored with the Eilers & Krejcik Gaming (EKG) Award for the Top Performing Game in Latin America.

This prestigious accolade further solidifies Zitro’s leading position in the region, a fact underscored by the Eilers & Krejcik—Fantini report released this January, which ranked Zitro #1 with a performance index of 2.61x.

“We are absolutely delighted to receive this award. Mighty Hammer is undeniably a phenomenal success, captivating players across Latin America in both its LAP and WAP configurations,” stated Sebastián Salat, Zitro’s President-International. “This award is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our entire team and reinforces our unwavering commitment to developing innovative and engaging products for players throughout the region. We sincerely thank our Latin American clients for their continued support and unwavering trust in our offerings.”

Building on this momentum, Zitro will showcase its new CONCEPT cabinet line and exciting new games at the upcoming Zitro Experience Argentina on Tuesday, March 18th, during the same week of the SAGSE’25 trade show. We look forward to seeing you there!

 

The post ZITRO SECURES THE PRESTIGIOUS EILERS & KREJCIK GAMING (EKG) AWARD FOR LATAM’S TOP-PERFORMING GAME OF THE YEAR appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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