Curb video games that let children gamble, says NHS
VIDEO games that encourage gambling are “setting kids up for addiction”, NHS chiefs warn today.
They cited cases of children spending huge sums without their parents’ knowledge, including a 16-year-old who spent £2,000 on a basketball game.
The target of the warning is games that allow players to buy “loot boxes” with unknown contents.
The mystery add-ons encourage youngsters to keep spending in the hope of getting the items they want.
NHS mental health director Claire Murdoch called for a crackdown, saying video games were pushing young people into “under the radar gambling”.
She said: “Frankly no company should be setting kids up for addiction by teaching them to gamble on the content of these loot boxes. No firm should sell to children loot box games with this element of chance – those sales should end.”
The use of loot boxes is not regulated by the Gambling Commission because it is not classed as betting.
Ms Murdoch warned: “Young people’s health is at stake, and although the NHS is stepping up with new, innovative services
available to families, we cannot do this alone. Other parts of society must do what they can to limit risks and safeguard children’s wellbeing.”
Estimates suggest 400,000 people in England have a serious gambling problem, including 55,000 children.
A Gambling Commission report last year found that just over half of young people had heard of in-game items, and 44 per cent had paid money to open loot boxes or get additional content.
Shirley Cramer, chief executive of the Royal Society for Public Health, said: “We commend the NHS for coming out with this bold call.
“There is no doubt that loot boxes must be regarded as a form of gambling.
“And yet, the world of online gaming remains an unregulated, fast-evolving and opaque market with little to no safeguards for children.”
Barnardo’s chief executive Javed Khan said that the Government “must commit to an online safety regulator to hold the industry to account”. He added: “It’s deeply concerning.”
‘Frankly no company should be setting kids up for addiction to betting online’