According to German media outlet Games Wirtschaft, the court in Austria's Hermagor region issued a ruling. The court held that the FIFA game's unboxing system violated local gambling laws.
In 2020, several Austrian FIFA players sued Sony. Players claim to have "gambled out of the box" on FIFA, spending more than €400. Although Sony is not the developer of FIFA, the company participated in the trade cut, so several players demanded that Sony return the money.
Recently, the court issued a judgment requiring Sony to repay more than 300 euros. Sony has not responded to the ruling.
According to the court, FIFA's unboxed contents may be worth more or less than the value of loot boxes, so it is an "economic benefit" for those lucky enough to receive valuables, which in turn violates local law.
In addition to Austria, the FIFA unboxing mechanism has also been reviewed in other countries. In Belgium, the Netherlands and the Luxembourg Economic Union area, the FIFA unboxing option was removed.
Source: Games Wirtschaft/VGC