Experts Call for Duty of Care to Protect Children from Gambling Harm
Protecting children and young people from the effects of gambling related harm has been at the top of the agenda for the iGaming world for some time now, especially after the recent story of a 13-year-old boy who spent £80,000 he’d stolen from his father to fund a gambling addiction that stemmed from an advert he saw at Wembley stadium while watching a football game.
There have been many outspoken parties when it comes to the importance of protecting young people from the dangers of gambling addiction and problem gambling, and a group of experts have joined the fight, calling on the UK Government to impose a “duty of care” for the protection of minors, especially considering the increased number of gambling advertisements, especially on social media.
The data
Data that has been accumulated by academics, charities, doctors, and more specialists has linked social media to the increase of problem gambling amongst children.
Sites such as Facebook have been criticised by the team of experts for targeting children under 10, using animated pictures and characters to tempt young people into becoming hooked on products and services offered by the sites.
Telegraph campaign
The Daily Telegraph has launched a campaign calling for Members of Parliament to impose a duty of care at a time when they are also debating and considering imposing new measures against the advertising of gambling operators and services on social media.
The Telegraph campaign, which is supported by Pete Wanless, CEO of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) asks for online casino and gambling operators to pay a statutory duty that would then be used to ensure that minors were protected from the negative consequences that can arise from gambling.