The Children’s Commissioner for England, Anne Longfield, has demanded the introduction of regulations that would make it harder for children to access free-to-play online casino games, the Sunday Times reports.
During a recent meeting with UK Gambling Commission’s outgoing CEO Sarah Harrison and the Commission’s Executive Director, Tim Miller, Ms. Longfield said that such games can be accessed easily on smartphones and tablets and that they can trigger “the worst kinds of addictive behaviour” among the most vulnerable part of UK’s population.
According to the Children’s Commissioner free-to-play casino games, including slot games and versions of table games, normalize gambling and minors should not be exposed to any product or service that normalizes highly addictive activities.
While players can play real-money versions of online casino games only after their age is verified, the case is different with their free-to-play alternatives. The Sunday Times has recently reported that online gambling companies allow for such free-to-play games to be played without the player having to verify their age. In other words, that player could be of any age.
The free online casino games are usually used by operators to promote their offering and thus attract players. Ms. Longfield demanded that tighter regulations are introduced on advertising such gambling-related products so that they are less appealing to minors.
Experts believe that the easy access to free-to-play casino games can unlock desire for money gambling during adolescence and at a later stage of life. Mark Griffiths, a behavioral addiction expert teaching at the Nottingham Trent University was cited by the Sunday Times saying that free games are the number one risk factor for children and their future attitude towards gambling.
Warnings and Risks
Ms. Longfield’s comments came shortly after the UK Gambling Commission sent a letter to licensed online gambling operators, urging them and their affiliate partners to remove any advertising content that was freely accessible and looked appealing to children. The move was undertaken after an article by the Sunday Times about the risks of minors being widely exposed to gambling on the Internet.
Recent research conducted by UK market research organization Ipsos MORI on behalf of the UK Gambling Commission showed that around 370,000 of UK children aged between 11 and 16 gamble weekly. The study further found that around 25,000 children struggle with problem gambling behavior and a further 36,000 are at risk of falling victims to gambling addiction or problem gambling.
It also became known earlier this month that multiple online gambling operators have come under fire for poor anti-money laundering policies and interaction with customers with problem gambling behavior. As many as 17 licensed operators are currently investigated by the UK Gambling Commission, and five are facing license review which may result in their authorization to operate in the UK being revoked.
