Online Gambling

Facebook online casinos entice young people to gamble

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The UK’s MailOnline reports online gambling giant 888 has struck a lucrative deal with Facebook to offer Las Vegas-style slot machines and other games funded by credit and debit card transactions up to £500 (roughly US $761).  Facebook and its gambling partners have been training youth with slot and bingo-style games. The Mail quotes Mark Griffiths, professor of gambling studies at Nottingham Trent University citing research showing that playing free games online is a big factor in developing problem gambling. He warned the new apps will open the floodgates as “gambling companies dive into the social media frenzy to make money. It is thought Facebook will take a 30 percent cut of all bets placed.”

These free games are available to US customers as well. Online game giant Zynga for months has featured intrusive popups and ads pushing their slots and poker games in their ubiquitous “Words with Friends” blockbuster game.

Social network is tempting young to gamble with new betting games

CkirbyFacebook online casinos entice young people to gamble
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Health Impacts of Gambling Expansion in Toronto

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Toronto Board of Health has released a new report that explains, in part, that “problem gambling is a significant public health concern … impacting upwards of 11,000 people aged 18+ in the greater Toronto area.” This disturbing statistic is among many that the Board finds, as the seriousness of problem gambling grows as casinos and online gambling expand.

2012 City of Toronto Public Health Report

LesHealth Impacts of Gambling Expansion in Toronto
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Exploiting the Neuroscience of Internet Addiction

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In this article the relationship between neuroscience and internet gambling is explained. The article delineates how much of what we do online releases dopamine into the brain’s pleasure centers, resulting in obsessive pleasure-seeking behavior. Technology companies face the option to exploit our addictions for profit.

Exploiting the Neuroscience of Internet Addiction

LesExploiting the Neuroscience of Internet Addiction
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Facebook ‘creating a generation of gambling addicts because of site’s Las Vegas style games’

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Facebook has been accused of turning youngsters into gambling addicts with an explosion of Las Vegas-style casino games on the social networking site. Children are using ‘virtual coins’ to simulate the thrill of hitting the jackpot with slot machine and roulette games on their home computers and mobile phones. Zynga, which accounts for 12 per cent of all Facebook’s revenues due to its popular games such as FarmVille, launched Zynga Slots in the UK last month. Although these games are free, addiction experts have warned the games encourage teenagers to think gambling is harmless fun.

Facebook ‘creating a generation of gambling addicts because of site’s Las Vegas style games’

CkirbyFacebook ‘creating a generation of gambling addicts because of site’s Las Vegas style games’
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Frequent video gamers have brain differences, study finds

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Young teens who were frequent video gamers had more gray matter in the rewards center of the brain than peers who didn’t play video games as much — suggesting that gaming may be correlated to changes in the brain as much as addictions are. This characteristic is precisely why casino owners are aiming to promote internet gambling and target those who are already prone to addiction.

Frequent gamers have brain differences study finds

LesFrequent video gamers have brain differences, study finds
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Gambling Nation: A Democracy of Risk for Risk’s Sake

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Below is a compelling, hard-hitting column by Esquire’s Charlie Pierce about what it means to turn America into a casino republic, declaring “The United States of America is now nothing more than a place where you gamble.”

Gambling Nation: A Democracy of Risk for Risk’s Sake

LesGambling Nation: A Democracy of Risk for Risk’s Sake
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Turning gamers into gamblers

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Popular, long-running online game Runescape is being widely criticised for encouraging youngsters to gamble..Australian gamer, parent and former gambling addict Jakob Gamertsfelder is a veteran Runescape player but is now one of many actively protesting about the game’s new direction – what he describes as “an online casino aimed at children”. Most of the complaints are directed at Squeal of Fortune, which was added early this year and allows players to “buy spins” to a virtual wheel of fortune to win prizes. Jakob says Squeal of Fortune is “marketing aimed at habituating and incentivising gambling, directly aimed at kids”. “My motivation comes not just from the good memories of spending time with my kids in Runescape but also from remembering what it feels like to be caught up in a gambling addiction, which I was for some years.” Last year a gambling industry veteran urged sports betting agencies to target video gamers, while a study suggested teenager game players had brains “like gambling addicts”. Meanwhile, research in 2009 suggested teenagers who regularly play video games are more likely to develop anti-social behaviour that can lead to problem gambling.

Jakob Gamertsfelder is particularly angry that Runescape’s new owners Jagex changed the terms and conditions of Runescape around the same time as launching Squeal of Fortune. The changes ensure the company is not liable if a player uses someone else’s credit card. He says this seems to have been done because Jagex expects kids to use their parent’s cards without permission. “The timing indicates the intent,” Jakob says. “It annoys the crap out of me that Jagex does something this malicious and then fobs off responsibility to parents.”

Turning gamers into gamblers

CkirbyTurning gamers into gamblers
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Online lottery sales, meant to draw in younger gamblers, draw opposition

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Lotteries tell the public “people are gambling anyway” but there is no question that lotteries are actively targeting and creating new gamblers to get them to lose their money. In this story, the Maine Lottery Director describes the strategy: “While our lottery revenue generation is doing reasonably well, our consumer or customer head count participation is flat to slightly down….the lottery needs to bolster sales to the “Generation Y” segment of the population, 18-to 30-year-olds that embrace the Internet.”

Online lottery sales, meant to draw in younger gamblers, draw opposition

LesOnline lottery sales, meant to draw in younger gamblers, draw opposition
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Children as young as 10 are battling serious gambling problems, a major study has revealed

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While the United States continues to ignore its public health problem of gambling addiction, the first national study of the gambling habits of Australia’s youth has found a tenth of kids aged 10-14 fit definitions of ‘‘at-risk’’ or ‘‘problem’’ gamblers. And a third have adults willing to place bets on their behalf. Almost a third of kids aged 10-14 said they had played electronic gambling machines in the previous year, more than half had purchased scratch tickets.

2012 Junior gamblers battle addiction

LesChildren as young as 10 are battling serious gambling problems, a major study has revealed
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Casino giant IGT launches popular slot machine on Facebook

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In an effort to encourage more young people to lose money gambling on the Internet, International Gaming Technology has launched its Da Vinci Diamonds slot machine, which can be found in casinos across the country, as a Facebook game, as if it were Farmville or Words With Friends.

2012 Casino giant IGT goes social, launches Vegas slot machine favorite on Facebook

CkirbyCasino giant IGT launches popular slot machine on Facebook
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