š The EU starts regulating virtual currencies in games; cryptocurrencies are kept out
On September 30, the EUās Consumer Protection Cooperation Network (CPC) launched 11 coordinated enforcement actions, targeting 10 game companies by name.
The list is not short. Mojang of Minecraft, King of Candy Crush Saga, Supercell of Clash of Clans, Riot of Valorant, Ubisoft of For Honor, Crytek of Hunt: Showdown 1896, InnoGames of Forge of Empires, Plarium of Mech Arena, and PLR Worldwide Sales of Gardenscapes. The tenth is Activision Blizzard, a separate case involving two titles: Diablo Immortal and Call of Duty Mobile.
Theyāre telling these game companies to do seven things. Price in real money; donāt hide costs by using multiple token conversions; donāt force players to buy more coins just to progress; clearly state the information before payment; offer a 14-day cooling-off period (counts even for unspent coins); write the terms in plain language; and add protections for children and impulsive people. Everything is about the money.
This action has a backstory. In March 2025, the CPC issued a seven-principle document on virtual currencies in games. After that, it held two rounds of meetings with industry groups and asked around. The conclusion: most companies didnāt budge. Now regulators are reconciling accounts.
All 27 countries moved at once because the market is big enough. In 2024, the global gaming market was valued at ā¬169.6 billion, and institutions expect it to reach ā¬190.3 billion by 2027. In Europe, ā¬29.7 billion in 2025, with 279.6 million players; an expected 291.7 million by 2027.
The real highlight is in the wording of those principles. The documentās footnotes are blunt: cryptocurrencies used as alternative payment methods via encryption algorithms, and āvirtual currencyā as defined in antiāmoney laundering instructions, are excluded. Another rule says game coins that can only be obtained by playing gamesāand canāt be bought with real moneyāare also excluded.
So, in plain terms: two ledgers. In-game currencies that can be bought with real money and canāt be exchanged back into real money fall under consumer protection. Crypto assets that can be exchanged back into real money and can be used as payment fall under financial regulation.
Itās still āvirtual money,ā but the withdrawal/exit route is differentātherefore, the regulator is different.
When I wrote this, four BTC quote sources fell between $86,087 and $86,111, up about 1.5% over the past 24 hours. ETH at 2,717.
The EUās first line for gaming coins is āpriced in real money.ā For the crypto line, it depends on whether it can be redeemed back into real money. The fork is right thereānot in the coin itself.
$BTC $ETH
#äøę¬čŖå½é ē¤¾åŗBaoluoåøåčµę¬ #å®č§ē»ęµ #čę蓧åøēē®”
On September 30, the EUās Consumer Protection Cooperation Network (CPC) launched 11 coordinated enforcement actions, targeting 10 game companies by name.
The list is not short. Mojang of Minecraft, King of Candy Crush Saga, Supercell of Clash of Clans, Riot of Valorant, Ubisoft of For Honor, Crytek of Hunt: Showdown 1896, InnoGames of Forge of Empires, Plarium of Mech Arena, and PLR Worldwide Sales of Gardenscapes. The tenth is Activision Blizzard, a separate case involving two titles: Diablo Immortal and Call of Duty Mobile.
Theyāre telling these game companies to do seven things. Price in real money; donāt hide costs by using multiple token conversions; donāt force players to buy more coins just to progress; clearly state the information before payment; offer a 14-day cooling-off period (counts even for unspent coins); write the terms in plain language; and add protections for children and impulsive people. Everything is about the money.
This action has a backstory. In March 2025, the CPC issued a seven-principle document on virtual currencies in games. After that, it held two rounds of meetings with industry groups and asked around. The conclusion: most companies didnāt budge. Now regulators are reconciling accounts.
All 27 countries moved at once because the market is big enough. In 2024, the global gaming market was valued at ā¬169.6 billion, and institutions expect it to reach ā¬190.3 billion by 2027. In Europe, ā¬29.7 billion in 2025, with 279.6 million players; an expected 291.7 million by 2027.
The real highlight is in the wording of those principles. The documentās footnotes are blunt: cryptocurrencies used as alternative payment methods via encryption algorithms, and āvirtual currencyā as defined in antiāmoney laundering instructions, are excluded. Another rule says game coins that can only be obtained by playing gamesāand canāt be bought with real moneyāare also excluded.
So, in plain terms: two ledgers. In-game currencies that can be bought with real money and canāt be exchanged back into real money fall under consumer protection. Crypto assets that can be exchanged back into real money and can be used as payment fall under financial regulation.
Itās still āvirtual money,ā but the withdrawal/exit route is differentātherefore, the regulator is different.
When I wrote this, four BTC quote sources fell between $86,087 and $86,111, up about 1.5% over the past 24 hours. ETH at 2,717.
The EUās first line for gaming coins is āpriced in real money.ā For the crypto line, it depends on whether it can be redeemed back into real money. The fork is right thereānot in the coin itself.
$BTC $ETH
#äøę¬čŖå½é ē¤¾åŗBaoluoåøåčµę¬ #å®č§ē»ęµ #čę蓧åøēē®”
