Elements of the online gambling industry are coming under fire for marketing and promoting their casino games in such a way that they are targeting children and young people. In particular, the growing popularity of social media gaming apps is being blamed for potentially creating a new generation of problem gamblers.

The argument is that exposure to gambling-type games and advertising that promotes these games in a positive light serves to normalize gambling activities for children and young people, making them more susceptible to real money gambling and, by extension, increasing the chances of their becoming problem gamblers, either when they reach an age where it becomes legal for them to gamble or, in some cases, even before that age.

Researchers believe that one of the reasons that social gaming apps played on Facebook and other social media platforms have the potential to cause harm to children is that the inflated odds they offer create false expectations in young people when it comes to gambling for real money.

These social versions of blackjack, poker and slots games found on Facebook, or that can be downloaded as mobile apps, are designed to look and play in the same way as the real money versions of the games that you might find at a site like Playright, but with odds that are far more generous than those you will find in the online casino versions of these games.

It is thought that this then creates false expectations, as young people can be lured into thinking that winning big is easy and so they make the transition to paying for real money only to find that the odds on these games are not nearly so much in their favor.

The ways in which social gambling games are marketed is also a concern for regulators and campaigners, as at present, despite simulating real money online casino games, they are not classified as such and therefore fall outside of the regulations with regard to the advertising of online gambling. This has led to calls for the advertising and promotion of social and simulated gambling games to be subject to the same laws that are in place for real money gambling sites.

The social gaming market is estimated to be worth about USD$4.4 billion annually, with social or simulated gambling apps now accounting for 13% of all the games played on Facebook, and as a consequence many gambling operators have also moved into providing Facebook games and other social gaming options as a means not only of getting a slice of this growing revenue, but also in order to use such games as a way of delivering new players to their real money sites. This is one of the reasons why, to many observers, the lines between the advertising and promotion of social gaming apps and online casino games played for real money are becoming blurred.

Researchers have found that, as advertising for social gaming is not subject to the same restrictions as that for real money gambling sites, many of the promotions for social gaming apps and Facebook games are designed to appeal specifically to young people (in direct contravention of current laws) through their use of images and language, with color and glamour being utilized to normalize gambling activities amongst young people. It is argued that this makes gambling seem a regular, unexceptional part of everyday life, even for children, and that such advertising does little or nothing to make young people aware of the potential dangers inherent in gambling, not least the risks of problem gambling.

Another significant cause for concern for researchers is that there are not sufficient age gates in place for social games. Online casinos and other real money gambling sites that are licensed and regulated by the UK Gambling Commission are required to have age checks in place that prevent anyone under the age of 18 from playing their games.

However, social and simulated gambling games don’t have the same requirements, and as a result young people and children are being exposed to, and are easily able to access, such games. It is suspected that this easy accessibility to, and familiarity with, this sort of social gambling then makes it an easier transition for children to begin playing for real money when they turn 18 or, in a growing number of cases, before they reach the legal age.

The fact that micropayments are available in social casino and mobile apps, to buy extra chips, increase the speed of access to games, or to play exclusive games, may also create problems. Research found that two-thirds of young people who bought extra game features through micropayments in social gaming apps then went on to gamble for real money as a direct result. This is because the inclusion of the ability to make micropayments in otherwise free gaming apps introduces young people, who might not otherwise be aware of it, to the possibility of playing with and winning real money which, it is believed, then leads to greater numbers going on to play at online casinos so that they can try to do so.

Campaigning groups and MPs have also drawn attention to fact that some gambling sites feature cartoon-style real money slots and other games that utilize cartoon characters and other images which, it is argued, are designed specifically to appeal to children and young people, despite the fact that such advertising is deemed illegal. These claims are currently being investigated by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

Parents who are concerned about children and young people playing at real money gambling sites and online casinos can download and install software that prevents access, such as Net Nanny or CYBERSitter.