UK gambling sites told to take down games that appeal to children
What do Piggy Payout, Fluffy Favourites, Pirate Princess and Jack and the Beanstalk have in common? They’re all free-to-play games launched by online-gambling casinos, who’ve now been ordered to take them down – because of their appeal to children.
The order comes from the UK’s Gambling Commission, working with ad-industry bodies the Advertising Standards Authority and the Committee of Advertising Practice, and it follows recent newspaper reports here about gambling sites launching free games seemingly designed to appeal to children who aren’t old enough to gamble.
The Times, which broke that story, claimed that around 450,000 children in England and Wales are gambling every week: “more than those who smoke or take drugs”. The worry is that if gambling sites launch cutesy games, even if you can’t spend money betting on them, they act as a gateway to proper gambling later.
I’ve long harboured dark thoughts about the kind of mobile games designed to attract children, but with gameplay that nudges them towards an in-app store selling virtual currency at up to £69.99 a pop. But casino sites creating games with princesses, fluffy animals and famous fairytale characters are on another level entirely: it’s good to see this being cracked down on.
