Children are becoming more and more accustomed to a variety of apps and games that replicate sports betting and casino gambling.
Why it matters: According to experts, social betting, which doesn’t use real money, might introduce kids to actual gambling because the boundary between gaming and gambling is becoming increasingly hazy.
The big picture: According to Jeff Derevensky, a professor of psychiatry at McGill University and the head of the International Centre for Adolescent Gambling Issues and High-Risk Behaviors, “gambling has been mainstream in our culture.” Gaming and gambling are migrating and integrating, as we can see.
David Zendle, a specialist in the effects of video games and gambling at the University of York, conducted a review of Android app data and found that the number of social gambling applications downloaded globally jumped from 33 million in 2012 to 1.39 billion in 2020.
1,107, or nearly 98%, of the 1,132 “social casino” games examined had an age rating of 12 or younger.
Slots, poker, and blackjack are just a few of the games that can be played for free at social casinos on websites like Facebook and Zynga.
What’s going on: One of the fastest-growing segments of the gambling industry is sports betting, and the social betting market exhibits this tendency.
“Younger generations tend to view sports betting as a game of skill, rather than gambling, which has a more negative connotation,” says Axios sports editor Kendall Baker. “From TV commercials to in-stadium sportsbooks, betting has fully infiltrated the fan experience for all ages, making it feel mainstream and casual.”
There are downloadable apps like Omada, BETUP and WagerLab. Some have age restrictions that require users to be 17 or older, but they’re easy enough to circumvent, says Keith Whyte, executive director of the National Council on Problem Gambling.
There are also sports betting-like games that are marketed directly to kids. The National Football League and Nickelodeon have collaborated on a kids site that has cartoons, NFL trivia, and a feature that lets kids pick winners and get points for selecting correctly.
“We have worked (and will continue to) with CBS/Viacom on the elements in and around this game and there is nothing gambling-related or intended,” Alex Riethmiller, VP of communications for NFL Media, told Legal Sports Report. ViacomCBS owns Nickelodeon.
