You probably know those gambling machines or websites that target children. The UK regulators are aware of them and have decided not to tolerate them any longer.
The UK Gambling Commission and advertising regulators have ordered over 450 gambling websites to immediately “remove” casino games targeting people under the age of 18.
This one is pretty obvious. The graphics featuring cartoon characters, cute faces, and even game names like Piggy Payout are “likely” to appeal to children, according to an official letter.
It’s not just any titles though. The stakes are over €600 (around $792), so it could be a disaster for parents if a child has access to such a game. That wouldn’t be fun at all, especially in these difficult times. The crackdown comes after an investigation found that gambling websites were taking advantage of a “loophole” that they believed allowed them to create games geared towards children without breaking the Gambling Commission’s rules. They used age verification checks for those who wanted to play for money, but could play for free with no checks at all. So young people were hooked on the games.
It seems like gaming companies need to change their ways or else they could face similar problems regardless of the country. Marketing these games to children is a bad idea anyway and they certainly don't want more bad publicity.
