The British Gambling Commission has drawn attention to online casinos with gaming skins and items. Experts believe that through these sites, teenagers can get an experience of gambling and, as they say, get a taste.
At the same time, officials recognized that children without video games can learn the feeling of excitement in a lot of ways that are not regulated by their department: from friendly bets to the purchase of lottery tickets.
“Many children get acquainted with gambling on the playground, in video games and through social media, and not from bookmakers or on money betting sites,” said Tim Miller, head of the gambling Commission, adding that this provision needs to be changed.
Nevertheless, for the first time, the UK Gambling Commission has included online casinos with gaming skins in the annual report on gambling practices in the United Kingdom.
Experts interviewed about 2.5 thousand Britons aged 11 to 16 years and found out that 55% of participants knew about sites with bets on game items, and 11% made such bets themselves.
Gambling activity of British teenagers on sites with bets on game skins
Recall that last month, a discussion about the monetization of video games through the sale of loot boxes received a great resonance.
The governments of several countries have started proceedings to find out whether loot boxes are a type of gambling and how legitimate their use is. There is no consensus on these issues yet.
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