FIFA players in Belgium will not be able to buy FIFA points, EA Sports have confirmed.
Gamers in the country will still be able to use all the other features on Ultimate Team and generate coins through gameplay but as of 31 January, they will not be able to use the in-game currency.
The Belgian gambling commission had long been investigating EA, deeming 'loot boxes' to be gambling as players could spend real-life money on packs and improve the level of their squad.
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Belgium's Minister of Justice Koen Geens condemned it, saying: "Mixing gambling and gaming, especially at a young age, is dangerous for the mental health of the child."
EA had tried to stand firm but today issued a statement explaining the situation, revealing their disagreement with the law and apologising to their Belgian fans.
"After further discussions with the Belgian authorities, we have decided to stop offering FIFA Points for sale in Belgium," a statement on the official EA website read.
"We're working to make these changes effective in our FIFA console and PC games by January 31, 2019. This means that players in Belgium will not be able to purchase points to obtain FIFA Ultimate Team packs.
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"Players still can access Ultimate Team and play with their existing players. All content in the game can be earned through gameplay, as has always been the case, and players can continue to use coins and the in-game transfer market.
"Any players in Belgium that have existing FIFA Points in their accounts can continue to use them, but they will not be able to purchase more. We apologize to our players in Belgium for any inconvenience caused by this 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."
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It will be interesting to see if the use of FIFA points in other countries are banned in the near future, though the general consensus is that it's a decision welcomed by the FIFA community.
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