Investigation claims "network of illegal casinos" lets children gamble with their Roblox account details

gamesindustry.biz:

A "network of illegal casinos" is allegedly permitting children to gamble using their Roblox currency.

According to an investigation by Sky News, children as young as 12 have reportedly been able to gamble using their Roblox accounts on sites and unlicensed casinos that run outside of Roblox's ecosystem.

Although the casinos are not published on Roblox itself and the company has attempted to deter the illegal sites, children can reportedly use their Roblox login credentials and Roblox's currency, Robux, to access gambling on "robux casinos" like BloxFlip, RBLXWild, and Bloxmoon. The latter - which acquired RBLXWild earlier this year - has taken "a total of $11.4m (£8.9m) [...] since it launched in late 2022."

Whilst some casinos ask the players to provide a date of birth or tick a box confirming they are over 18, "they do not attempt to verify the user’s age."

One respondent told Sky News that he began gambling at the age of 14, and has gambled away around 15 million Robux - the equivalent of around $190,700 (£150,000). Even though his mother "tried to get [him] to stop," he "just liked the adrenaline of doing bigger and bigger bets."

"I just thought it was something you could do to make extra money," he said. "I didn't even know what gambling was."

A friend of the child reportedly threatened to take his own life after he lost 20,000 Robux - the equivalent of about $250/£200 - "on a single roulette spin."

Sky News said the boy's friends weren't sure "if he was serious, but the group didn't want to get adults involved for fear of revealing their gambling habits."

"We just tried to calm him down ourselves," the respondent added.

In response to the investigation, chief executive of the Gambling Commission, Andrew Rhodes, said: "At the end of the day, illegal casino operators are criminals. They're supported by criminal gangs and are part of the criminal underworld. It's important all of us play our part in trying to frustrate them."

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