PEGI reviews policy on simulated gambling after Balatro age rating overturned

The Pan-European Game Information body will no longer rate all simulated gambling games as 18+.

Belgium.- The gaming classification body Pan-European Game Information (PEGI) is reviewing its policies on simulated gambling in video games after its age rating for the popular mobile game Balatro was overturned. Gambling themes will no longer automatically lead to an 18+ rating, although games that simulate casinos and betting halls will still receive the highest age rating.

The deck-building card game Balatro became one of the most successful video games of 2024. While the game was built on a small budget, its incorporation of roguelike elements like perma-death and procedurally generated levels made it hugely popular. It won Best Indie Game at the Golden Joysticks and Best Mobile Game at The Game Awards. 

While developer LocalThunk argued that he stood against gambling, the game was slapped with an 18+ rating from PEGI. The European body advised that the game “contains prominent gambling imagery and material that instructs gambling”. This, and the rise in the age rating from 3+ to 18+ in Match 2024, caused Balatro to be taken down from digital console storefronts in several countries in Europe for a time.

However, the 18+ age rating has now been overturned by PEGI’s Complaints Board. Instead, Balatro will be rated 12+. Another game, Luck Be A Landlord, has also been reclassified.

LocalThunk had appealed against the rating, arguing that the game doesn’t allow players to bet or spend money. He also accused PEGI of being contradictory, signalling its policy on video games with loot boxes, many of which do allow players to spend money. 

In 2018, Belgium became the first country to ban loot boxes on the grounds that they violated gambling laws. But while some individual countries, including Germany, have started to consider the use of loot boxes when deciding a game’s age rating, PEGI does not. LocalThunk noted that EA’s FC, one of the most popular video games, is rated 3+ by PEGI despite having loot boxes in its Ultimate Team mode, which allows players to buy packs of virtual trading cards.

PEGI said it would accept the decision of its Complaints Board. It said it “continuously evolves in line with cultural expectations, and the guidance of independent experts”.

In a post on X after the decision, LocalThunk said: “This is a good step from PEGI, bringing nuance to their ratings criteria that used to be 18+ or nothing. I hope this change will allow developers to create without being unfairly punished”.