Paying real money for games is not new, especially for in-app purchases. However, there is a point where ethical boundaries are being crossed. For instance, gambling games are already questionable, so much so when they use real money and are advertised to underaged users.
Gambling Ads Shown to Children
There is a certain level of responsibility that advertisers hold when it comes to deciding who sees their ads, especially since not all products and services being promoted are suitable for children. Gambling is not an exception, and yet children in the UK are flooded with them.
A charity funded by gambling firms, GambleAware found through research they commissioned that such ads can pose a risk to younger audiences, considering that they cannot discern the difference between real gambling games and gambling-like games.
"The grey area between online gambling and gambling-like gaming is confusing, especially for younger children, and blurs the lines between what is and isn't gambling," Sherbert Research Managing Director Nicki Karet expressed.
With the nature and appearance of the ads, which sometimes use cartoons and bright cheerful colors, children might be more inclined to try them out. For example, an online slot game is asking users to "take a dip" as said by three cartoon frogs.
With these kinds of ads becoming a "part of many children's lives," GambleAware CEO Zoë Osmond stated: "This is worrying, as early exposure to gambling can normalise gambling for children at a young age, and lead to problems," as reported by The Guardian.
"We need to see more restrictions put on gambling advertising and content to ensure it is not appearing in places where children can see it. Urgent action is needed to protect children," she added, as interviewed people between seven to 25 years old said they saw an increase in gambling promotions.
The research states that the definition of gambling should cover a wider range such as the compulsive engagement with online games that have betting elements like loot boxes, which can be bought with in-game currency or real money.
While experts and researchers are still fighting to have regulators do more to restrict such ads, Bristol University lecturer in marketing Dr. Raffaello Rossi said that what was done to prevent it was "too little, too late" since there are already a lot of them.
Online Gambling Dangers
With the rising popularity of online gambling, even within social media platforms like Facebook through live streams, the danger is also increasing with it. Much more so because anyone with an internet connection can participate in such activities.
Gambling comes with an addictive nature that some people cannot control. What others may not know is that online gambling games on unregulated platforms can easily be rigged or provide unfair odds, as mentioned by Algamus Gambling Treatment.
They might even be used by bad actors to conduct scams. In some instances, players would win big immediately and start losing money the longer they play. That's because the game is designed to lure players in with promises of repeated wins, but is already rigged to pull more money out of them.
