Written by Dante Uzel on 18 December 2024 19:57
A growing network of illegal casinos is reportedly allowing children to gamble on Roblox, according to a Sky News investigation. Despite efforts from Roblox to block these sites, young players, some as young as 12, have been able to access unauthorized gambling platforms outside the official Roblox ecosystem.
These unlicensed casinos, such as BloxFlip, RBLXWild, and Bloxmoon, allow users to gamble using Robux, the virtual currency of Roblox. Bloxmoon, which merged with RBLXWild earlier this year, has reportedly accumulated $11.4 million (£8.9 million) in revenue since launching in late 2022.
Although some sites ask players to verify their age by entering a date of birth or confirming they are over 18, these platforms fail to properly check the authenticity of this information. One participant in the investigation shared that he began gambling at just 14 years old and lost around 15 million Robux, the equivalent of approximately $190,700 (£150,000). Despite his mother's attempts to intervene, he continued gambling because, as he explained, "I just liked the adrenaline of doing bigger and bigger bets."
"I just thought it was something you could do to make extra money," he added. "I didn’t even know what gambling was."
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In one alarming case, a child reportedly threatened to harm himself after losing 20,000 Robux (roughly $250/£200) on a single roulette spin. His friends, unsure of the seriousness of the threat, chose not to involve adults for fear of exposing their gambling behavior. "We just tried to calm him down ourselves," the respondent stated.
The Gambling Commission has condemned the activities of these illegal sites. Andrew Rhodes, the commission's chief executive, emphasized the severity of the issue, stating, "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."
Tags: Roblox
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