Gambling Firms Face Concerns Over Kids Playing Virtual Reality Poker

tech.hindustantimes.com:

During a round of poker in a virtual reality casino earlier this month, one player at the table was berated with sexually explicit language.

The player, dressed in a purple top and a white anime-style haircut, was highly likely to be a child, based on their voice and their reaction to the abuse. While playing rounds of Texas hold ‘em, a Bloomberg News reporter saw users smoking virtual cigars and passing around digital guns while the suspected child played with a toy donkey next to their chips. In another poker game, a player said they were in the fifth grade, which would probably mean they were aged either 10 or 11.

The virtual casino built by Pokerstars VR is owned by one of the biggest betting groups in the world, Dublin-based Flutter Entertainment Plc. Launched in 2018, it has about 40,000 to 50,000 daily players and is accessed via headsets including Meta Platforms Inc.’s Oculus Rift and Quest products, or HTC Vive.

“There is a zero-tolerance approach to any player that acts in breach our of terms of service and community standards, circumvents our age rating, uses toxic language or behaves inappropriately, all of which can lead to permanent bans,” a Flutter spokesperson said. “We are investing to enhance player protections, including the roll-out of AI-driven tools to support our moderators, and are working closely with Meta and other technology partners to continually raise standards.’’   

Facebook and Instagram-owner Meta is the world’s top VR headset maker, with 80% market share according to research firm IDC. It asks users to be aged 13 and over. Pokerstars VR was the 14th most popular “experience’’ on the Oculus Quest chart in mid-May.  More than a quarter of US teens own a VR device, according to investment bank