According to Eurogamer, a Dutch court ruled that EA's use of a card-drawn unboxing system inside the FIFA series of games did not violate the country's gambling laws. The judgment overturned a 2020 fine of 10 million euros against the company.
At the time, the Dutch District Court favored the position of the Dutch Gaming Authority. It says that players can profit from fifa Ultimate Team cards and can ignore the game itself when using the Ultimate Team pack as their theme.
Eurogamer's report said the new decision was based on how the court viewed players' participation in in-game card draws. Dutch administrative authorities say the vast majority of card packs are obtained by participating games and used for gaming. And the tradability of black market card packs is relative, and the black market mainly trades the full account, rather than a single card pack or its contents.
The local judiciary went on to state that since FIFA is primarily a soccer and sports game, the card pack system is not a standalone game. Therefore, the FIFA series is not a gambling game and does not require a license.
