Underage Gambling – Legal Online Borders

Various studies show that around a quarter of adult gamblers had placed their first bets illegally when under-aged. Around 15% of 16 and 17- year-olds have wagered mainly privately with friends or family. Others have bet illegally, on Keno, racing and scratch cards, where the age limit is 18 years of age. GambleAware’s study shows that young people are more likely to adopt gambling if the parents were seen to bet. The more youngsters used social media and played video games, the more they switched to underage gambling.

In the coming sections, which you can jump right at using the navigation above, we will go over the underage gambling statistics, consequences, penalties, parental control and more. There will be also ways to help understand what triggers minors to start betting and seeing wagering as an escape from reality. Many casinos imply various restrictions, which aim to prevent online underage gambling.

Underage Gambling Statistics – Numbers Are Increasing

Minors can be exposed to gambling anywhere and at any given time. Take the video games with gambling-style and the mini-games for in-game currency as examples. Even the amusement parks advertise the chance of winning in the form of toys. When you watch TV, several commercials can have gambling adds and push towards wagering. Underage gambling online is changing and both parents and casinos need to work towards preventing it in an early stage. There are more and more roulette sites in the UK joining the battle to keep minors away from betting.

The underage gambling statistics show that with the internet and smart devices becoming more and more popular among minors, the chance of addictions increases. Youngsters become creative when it comes to wagering. Here is what our latest research has found:

Underage Gambling – Laws, Consequences, Penalties

Gambling seems fun and it is when done wisely. That is the reason for the age restrictions in every country. Each gambling law jurisdiction is well-aware of how easy minors spot online betting. There are many reasons why their decision-making is not like the ones made by adults, especially when underage gambling addiction is involved.

Even when children do not always understand the impact of their decisions, law hits with full power. The related enforcements are not always looking at underage gambling with sympathy. Even first-timers can be punished to the full extent of the law with various penalties. The best online gambling sites take special care for preventing children bet at their websites. They work tightly with third-party organisations dealing firmly with underage gambling addictions.

Consequences of Underage Gambling – What Can Happen?

Minors and teens are not fully ready to balance emotions. They are not prepared to consider the consequences of underage gambling. The balance of emotion and logic when making healthy choices is not yet reached and they are more likely to act impulsively and take risks. Keep in mind that the decisions made by teenagers make sense to them. Teens across the globe show common behaviour with three main approaches. They have increased novelty seeking, risk taking and shift towards peer-based interactions. These behavioural changes provoke minors to become problem gamblers.

When they begin to gamble at 12 it is more likely to develop an addiction and can cause depression plus emotional stress. All that can lead to more devastating consequences of underage gambling. The risk of crime, abuse and addiction are increased. Betting abuse can damage relationships and cause poor academic performance. The novelty-seeking can lead underage gamblers to bet money they do not have. The risk-taking behaviour makes it much harder to walk away from the wager.

Penalty for Underage Gambling – Under What Age Is It Illegal?

Countries that allow gambling have rigorous age requirements, which need to be met. With the development of online gambling, more and more minors get easily hooked on the idea of winning. However, each participant will get a penalty for underage gambling according to the local laws. The charges are usually displayed on the minor’s criminal record. They can include probation, fines, community service and even jail. Now is a good moment to have a look at the legal gambling age restrictions around the globe.

Keep in mind that underage players are still under the supervision of their parents and relatives. In that line of thought, others around underage gamblers can get penalties as well. One of the possible charges to the people with custody of a child charged with online underage gambling is the disorderly persons offence. Keep in mind that minors are not allowed to plea and the only way to avoid severe punishment is to fight the charges in court.

Parental Control Measures for Underage Gambling

Online casinos take every precaution to ensure that minors are not the target group of players that they pursue. Many organisations urge interventions not only because underage gambling is illegal. They do it also because exposure to gambling at a young age may lead to a serious risk of developing an addiction on a later stage in their lives. Make sure to get involved as a parent, do not count only on the betting platform. After all, access to the internet is quick and easy for children today. It also requires a partnership with the parents, which will help with education about the risks of accessing illegal websites.

Keep your eyes open for the novelties in underage gambling like loot boxes and skins. Both are appearing on the online gaming scene. The loot boxes represent in-game packs with a random selection of consumable virtual items. The player can redeem to receive another selection of such items. Skins, on the other hand, are more of in-game cosmetics. They change the appearance of characters, weapons and more. The gambling element is hidden in the use of virtual goods, including the skins. They don’t impact the gameplay, but minors use them as a virtual currency to bet on sports and games of chance.

Ways to Prevent Your Children from Gambling

The computers and phones at kids’ disposal are mainly in their household. That gave developers a great idea of how to assist parents when preventing their children from gambling. Several parental control software programs are doing a great job in that department. We all know how many online adds are popping on your phones, tablets and computers. That makes minors tempted to click on them and see what will happen. A great way to prevent them from going further is to use specialised programs like SurveilStar, NetNanny and CyberSitter for blocking gambling sites.

You can add more actions to the equation by always logging out when done gaming. Autofill should be off, and your online casino account credentials must be out of children’s reach. That goes for the card and payment details as well. Make sure to play your favourite reels when the kids are not around. Last but not least, supervise internet usage and educate the minors about the risks of illegal online gambling websites. In case you need specialised assistance, you can always contact the responsible gambling organisations at each platform.

Online Casino Procedures to Prevent Underage Gambling

Online casinos combat underage gambling using diverse programs and behaviour patterns. They imply procedures to stop minors from reaching an opportunity to bet. In addition, the best casino sites have strict regulations. Every player needs to verify their accounts by sending a copy of a document like ID, drivers’ licence and others like social security number. In case the gaming platform catches underage gamblers, they suspend the accounts. More and more online casinos equip their websites with tools and make the rules even stricter.

List of safeguard procedures to perevent underage gambling:

Frequently Asked Questions About Underage Gambling

We have covered a lot on the underage gambling topic, and in case you need more systemized information, check this FAQ. There are essential with links to direct paragraphs from the article. That way you will find what you look for in a jiffy. Have a look and see how you can help minors avoid the slippery slope of betting addiction.

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