An Austrian court has ruledEA Sports’ popular FIFA packs as constituting a form of gambling and currently in violation of national law.
For those unaware, FIFA or ‘FUT’ Packs are a form of in-game microtransaction that features in the popular football sim’s Ultimate Team mode, where players build their dream squad and compete against other players online.
Despite being deemed not to be a form of gambling under UK law back in 2019, many parents and organisations remain concerned over the impact that these packs and other ‘loot boxes’ might be having on young people — i.e. encouraging children to gamble.
Now, after a significant ruling in Belgium back in May 2022 which brought loot boxes under national law, Austria has become the second European power to flag the practice as a form of gambling and an “illegal” one, at that. Loot boxes and microtransactions have been the subject of fierce debate for years.
With the likes of avid FIFA player turned YouTuber Jonathan Peniket having previously told the BBC how he blew more than £3,000 in university savings on FUT packs, even going on to make a video explaining how his addiction developed, his case is just one of many gone wrong.
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As per German outlet Games Wirtschaft, the court ruled that FIFA packs violated the country’s gambling laws and according to lawyer Ulrich Salburg, plaintiffs suing EA alleged that they had “gambled away” hundreds of euros on packs with uncertain monetary value, violating the Austrian Gaming Act.
According to the report, claims from players range from anywhere between €800 and €85,000 in the most extreme case and following the decision, Sony have been ordered to pay affected gamers around £299.35 in refunds while EA must clearly label FUT packs as “gambling games that require a license”.
It’s unclear whether FIFA packs sold via other gaming platforms will be examined and Sony can still appeal the decision. Neither Sony nor EA are yet to issue a statement regarding the ruling.
UK Parliament carried out a more detailed investigation into the loot boxes back in February and while they still do not fall under the Gambling Act of 2005, the House of Lords have been calling for loot boxes to be brought within the scope of the Gambling Commission since July 2020.
On the other hand, it has been reported that despite the Belgian ruling a few years back, the legislation still isn’t being properly enforced throughout the country and whether or not a crackdown in Britain will have the desired impact remains to be seen.
Six teenage boys arrested following stabbing of 13-year-old in Rochdale town centre
Emily Sergeant
Six teenage boys have been arrested following the stabbing of a 13-year-old in Rochdale town centre over the weekend.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) explained that officers were called out to reports of a ‘serious assault’ near the Riverside Shopping Centre in central Rochdale on Saturday (29 August), and when they arrived on the scene, they found that a 13-year-old boy had been stabbed.
The young boy currently remains in hospital receiving treatment, while a police investigation into the incident is open and ongoing.
Two teenage boys were first arrested on suspicion of assault and possession of a bladed article on the same day the incident occurred (29 August), but have since been released on bail.
Officers then made four further arrests yesterday (31 August), again all teenage boys who were arrested on suspicion of assault and possession of a bladed article, with enquires ongoing.
A Section 60 and 60AA ‘stop and search’ authority was introduced in Rochdale town centre following the recent incidents in area and following reports of youths carrying weapons in the locality, and this has now been extended to 3pm today (Tuesday 1 September).
“This was a serious and sustained attack that could have had far more tragic consequences,” explained Detective Superintendent, Richard Hunt .”Our team of experienced detectives is working around the clock to understand exactly what happened, identify all those involved, and secure the strongest possible evidence.
“We will relentlessly pursue every lead available to us and will leave no stone unturned in bringing all those responsible before the courts.
“Community safety remains our absolute priority, and we are committed to ensuring those who seek to bring violence onto our streets are held fully accountable for their actions.”
Can you help? Anyone who witnessed the incident, was in the town centre at the time, or has any mobile phone, CCTV, or dashcam footage, is urged to come forward and speak to police on 101, quoting log 2750 of 29/08/2026, or using the LiveChat function on the GMP website.
Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
Featured Image – GMP
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High School Musical at Lowry, Salford – a night spent reliving our childhood | Review
Amy Williams
What a night spent reliving our childhood.
Now, I don’t want to exaggerate or seem biased, considering this is one of my favourite film trilogies of all time, but this could be the best stage show I’ve seen in a long while.
We all know how High School Musical goes, right? Set at East High, we follow Troy and Gabriella (the star basketball player, and the geeky new girl) who meet over New Year, and then become ‘star-crossed lovers’ when back at school as they’re part of two different ‘cliques’.
The duo mess with the ‘Status Quo’ when they audition for the school musical. But will they stick to what they know? Or become stars of the stage? I’m sure you know the ending.
High School Musical is currently on stage at Lowry, Salford / Credit: Matt Crockett (Supplied)
From the costumes and the characters, to the memorable songs (there’s actually 52 songs in this production, including a mega mix at the end), they’ve kept right to the script of the films – and that’s exactly what we wanted to see.
Of course, the biggest throwback of them all is Kaycee Stroh – who originally featured as Martha Cox in the film trilogy – taking the role as Ms Darbus, and she was just as incredible as we expected her to be. And to see her do the iconic dance in the finale was unbelievable, 13-year-old Amy was screaming.
Also featuring Jason Donovan as Coach Bolton, Tobias Turley as Troy, Leonor Correia as Gabriella, Caitlin Tipping Sharpay, and Luke Bayer as Ryan, it was a proper impressive cast all round.
It’s a night to properly relive your mid-00s childhood / Credit: Matt Crockett (Supplied)
There was crowd interaction right from the off, as they taught the crowd a cheerleading routine to be included later in the show, plus for the finale, they had the lyrics on the big screen too so everyone could sing-along.
If we could go and see this show every single night, we would – it is absolutely brilliant.
Danny Jones -
11th March 2023 
