A new report has shown that unlicensed casinos are drawing in children as young as 12 using popular video game Roblox, and helping them gamble real money
Roblox is popular with children all over the world, letting them play alone or with friends in a wide variety of curated games built by its community.
Its central currency, Robux, is purchased with real cash, and used to support in-game developers via purchases of items to customise characters, but a new report from Sky News suggests it’s also being used to lure children into gambling via casinos linked to Roblox accounts.
Content warning: The Sky News report contains a mention of suicide.
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Roblox has an estimated 80 million daily active users, with 42% of users aged 12 or under. Sky News spoke to a 16-year-old in the US who began gambling via an online casino aged just 14 and has gambled around £150,000 in Robux. He was unaware this was a criminal offence, with the legal gambling age in his state 21.
Online casinos, including BloxFlip, Bloxmoon and RBLXWild, let users sign in and in turn gain access to their Roblox account and the Robux included. They require users tick a box to confirm they are over 18, but don’t attempt to verify this. Users then pay for virtual gambling chips on the casino’s site in Robux, which are then used on traditional casino games like roulette or blackjack.
Sky News said that Bloxmoon users have lost almost £9 million since the site debuted in late 2022, with an average revenue of £8,149 per day between April and October of this year alone.
Since the Sky News report was published, Bloxmoon and RBLXWild have announced that they are ceasing operations, while Roblox itself is fighting a class action lawsuit for reportedly knowing what was going on and not taking action. Roblox requested BloxFlip and RBLXWild be shut down in 2022, but legal proceedings against both only began in October of this year.
Roblox denies all wrongdoing, and Bloxmoon and RBLXWild have since been taken down only to reappear elsewhere. The Gambling Commission is working to identify the real owners of the casinos.
For emotional support, you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.
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