We’re rolling the dice on young gambling addicts

Are we setting up our kids for a gambling addiction?

One of the hottest new video games is Star Wars Battlefront 2, which generated controversy because it incorporated gambling. Users could either play many hours to unlock components of the game or use real money to open loot boxes. These loot boxes, also called “star cards,”

“crates” or “battle packs,” have random prizes and tiered pay systems, so users can pay more for the chance to win bigger prizes.

After a flurry of negative reaction, Electronic Arts, the company behind the game, has temporarily suspended in-game purchases, but has suggested the feature will be back at some point.

The line between gaming and gambling is starting to blur in a way that is worrisome for many gambling experts, policy makers and parents.

Many popular video games, such as Overwatch, Grand Theft Auto 5 and Destiny, have started to incorporate loot boxes. Because the prizes are virtual, many have dismissed the impact of these games on youth.

We should be concerned. First, young people are being exposed to what psychologists have recognized as “random reinforcement,” which fosters addictive behaviour with the idea that you could win something you consider valuable, you just don’t know when.

The only difference is that the prize is not money, but something valuable in a virtual environment. Young gamers are potentially sinking more and more real money into the opportunity to win a coveted item that might increase their performance in the game. So there is a built-in component enticing young people to become virtual gamblers.

Gambling has become more pervasive than ever before. Turn on the television and you can watch a poker match with advertising for a virtual casino in the background. Hollywood celebrities are now endorsing poker websites. Online and mobile gambling makes gambling possible anywhere.

My research found that even before the legalization of online gambling in Ontario, more than nine per cent of adolescents said they had gambled online in the past three months alone.

What happens when adolescents learn how to gamble in video games? Will they later move to online gambling? Will the two become indistinguishable?

We are conducting research to better answer these questions.

One of the misconceptions about gambling is that it’s innocuous. For many, gambling is a popular form of entertainment with relatively minor consequences. However, while the levels of “problem gambling” are low, the numbers don’t tell the full story.

For problem gamblers, the consequences are often severe, and include severe financial losses, family breakdown, substance use, depression and suicide. Gambling problems are often hidden because of the shame.

Belgium’s Gaming Commission has called for a European-wide ban on loot boxes. Meanwhile, the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB), which provides ratings for all video games, has not provided gambling designations for these games. We should be advocating for stronger ratings and ultimately a ban on loot boxes.

Gambling prevention programming is essential in schools. Ontario’s new curriculum includes a mandate to teach online gambling prevention, and we need to ensure this includes video games.

As technology evolves and gambling changes, we need to keep an eye on these changes and their potential impact to ensure that our children are not being programmed to develop gambling problems or addiction.

Tara Elton-Marshall is a scientist with the Institute for Mental Health Policy Research at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.