Facebook offers its users “free” gambling games,which they of course claim is restricted to children over 13 (but we all know how well Facebook police their own age requirement laws):
Members of Facebook, who must be aged 13 or over, can play a wide range of games traditionally associated with betting, including roulette, slot machines and card games.
Addiction experts have now claimed the games could lead children to becoming habitual gamers or even “problem” gamblers.
They believe the free games could lead youngsters to believe they are just harmless fun, setting them on a path towards betting with real currency.
A spokeswoman for charity GamCare added they would like the Gambling Commission to research social gaming and investigate it further.
Mandy Barrie, policy and development director, told the newspaper: “This is a really rapidly-moving area. We need to think through very carefully any risks that it presents particularly for young people.
“There is a link between early exposure to gambling and developing a problem in adulthood.”
These games are designed to get kids into gambling as quickly as possible. Facebook knows it, parents unfortunately don’t.
Click here to read my post ‘Facebook Doesn’t Seem to Care About Kids’.
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