Casinos For Kids? Video Games As A Gateway To Gambling Addiction

Addiction to video games and online gaming is one of the leading causes of mental health issues among adolescents today, ranking above anorexia and substance abuse. This is according to Marc Masip, a psychologist who specializes in addiction disorders caused by new technology. He also points out that the monetary aspect has an impact on the level of addiction.

«The most addictive games are those that use a freemium model. In other words, they are free at first, but then you have to pay to advance, become more competitive, and reach the most interesting levels», he explains.

The same point is made in a report by the Spanish Federation of Rehabilitated Gamblers (FEJAR) on the relationship between video games and gambling addiction: «It’s the world of free to play and pay to win. In other words, many of the most popular video games at the moment are free to access (free to play); however in games like Fortnite, if the player wants to obtain dances, cool costumes for other players, or weapons to win more easily, they have to pay (pay to win). Despite being free, this game is the one that is generating the most profits for its creators, EpicGames».

In fact, at the end of last year, Epic Games, the developer of Fortnite, was penalized by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and required to pay a total of $72 million to 629,344 players in the country, following accusations of making “illegal” charges for unwanted purchases and allowing children to accumulate unauthorized charges.

The situation is causing growing concern about the overlap between video games and gambling or online betting. Whereas previously the separation of the two worlds was distinct, the incorporation of betting technologies and systems into video games is blurring that boundary, creating aspects that mimic the mechanics of gambling.

FEJAR states that young people and even minors are becoming members of its groups, and that «after playing video games from an early age, they have ended up developing a gambling disorder».

In short, FEJAR concludes that «the line between pay-to-win video games and gambling or games of luck is unclear. Many people who initially play video games later feel curious or tempted to place bets. And our experience working with young people with gambling disorders indicates that a significant percentage of those who have developed this disorder are also video game players who aspire to become professionals».

The main form of gambling addiction among the population under 26 years of age

Data from other organizations support the associations’ statement. «With regard to non-substance addictions, 63.6% of the population has gambled with physical money during the last twelve months. To this should be added 6.7% who did so online. It should be noted that this percentage has practically doubled in comparison to the previous survey and that young people aged 15 to 34 are the ones gambling with the most money online», according to data from the City of Madrid Addiction Plan 2022-2026.

«In 2018, 25.5% of students gambled, mainly boys who had started betting at the age of 14. Of those, 82.2% had played video games in the last year», it adds.

Also, according to the report Qué nos jugamos («What’s At Stake») by the Reina Sofía Center on Adolescence and Youth of the FAD, online gambling has become the main form of gambling addiction among the population under 26 years of age.

That 2021 study had already predicted «the problems posed by free online games as habit-forming tools, as well as the growing overlap between gambling and video games».

«Dark patterns» in video games, a gateway to gambling

Payment schemes in video games are part of what is known as «dark patterns». This term refers to deliberate design strategies that seek to manipulate player behavior to spend more money, play longer, or give up personal data.

Among the most common are reward boxes or «loot boxes», items in video games that can be purchased with real money, but whose contents are random. Many of the games that include loot boxes are played by teenagers. Studies suggest that «loot boxes cause problematic gaming behavior among older adolescents, allowing video game companies to profit financially from adolescents with gaming problems, or both».

Another popular way to spend money on video games is through microtransactions, which are small payments that players can make within the game itself to obtain additional content or advantages. Precisely because they are presented as low-cost purchases, they can quickly add up and generate significant spending.

It is precisely the youngest players who are most vulnerable

«These types of predatory monetization schemes can be explained by the concept of ‘psychological trap’ or ‘lock-in effect’ (i.e., the belief that one has invested too much to quit). In situations like this, players tend to spend increasing amounts of money, which in turn generates more spending within the game», explains a study.

«Some systems can exploit information asymmetry — that is, when the game system knows more about the player than the player can know about the game — to adjust the prices of virtual items according to the player’s gaming and spending habits», concludes the report, which emphasizes that it is precisely the youngest players who are most vulnerable to these dynamics.

---

This content is part of a collaboration agreement of ‘WorldCrunch’, with the magazine ‘Ethic’. Read the original at this link.