Last updated: December 19, 2024
The UK Gambling Commission has launched an emergency investigation following revelations of illegal online casinos targeting minors through the Roblox gaming platform. These unlicensed sites use Robux, the platform’s in-game currency, to facilitate underage gambling.
A Sky News investigation has compelled the United Kingdom’s Gambling Commission to initiate an emergency investigation after it was discovered that several rogue online casinos had been running and promoting minors to gamble illegally by using the children’s game Roblox.
Evidence of illegal casinos using the online game platform and game development program Roblox to lure in underage gamblers (some of whom are 12 years old) has been discovered as part of the Sky News investigation.
Roblox allows its users to create and develop their own games, but it also allows access to games developed by other people on its website. A significant part of the experience is the virtual in-game currency called Robux, which can be used to buy in-game experiences at an approximate rate of £1 ($1.27) for 100 Robux.
This also applies to unlicensed casinos because although they are not present in the list under the Roblox website, allow children to register utilizing their Roblox credentials, yet clearly advertise to the same demographic as that of Roblox.
Upon signing up for a particular illegal online casino, a Roblox user grants the casino access to their Roblox account, thereby allowing the conversion of their Robux balance into casino chips. These chips can subsequently be utilized to place bets on various online casino games, including slots. Winnings accrued in Robux can then be withdrawn in the form of cryptocurrency and converted into standard currency.
It is worth mentioning that according to data from a now-defunct illegal casino called BloxFlip, some minors as young as 14 had gambled on the platform, amounting to £52,000. Notably, one of the accounts belonged to a 16-year-old, who showed a total expenditure of £175,000.
At present, nobody knows how many of them are operating under the rubric of illegal casinos and using Roblox. Meanwhile, the Gambling Commission would be proceeding with launching an emergency investigation over this concern.
The investigation done by Sky News focused on three major casinos of Robux which were BloxFlip, Bloxmoon, and RBLXWild. They determined that these websites in total garner about 2.8 million visits monthly, and millions are placed every month.
As of now, Roblox is under heavy legal scrutiny on this matter, and it is litigating in court against five children’s parents who gained access to the illicit casinos. Evidence that has appeared as part of the complaint shows that Roblox has known about BloxFlip since March 2022, at which point it started sending multiple takedown notices to the platform.
According to a statement issued exclusively to Gambling Insider, the Gambling Commission said, “Illegal gambling is serious and we’re clearly concerned. We have been very active in this space in recent times. In the last seven months (since April), we’ve had more than 75,000 URLs removed by search engines, and more than 250 websites taken down.”
“In this case, we have already contacted hosts and registrars to help in having these sites taken down, and both sites have since been removed. Perpetrators will always find ways to take advantage of victims, and we encourage parents and caregivers to stay aware of what children are accessing.”.
It came right at the heels of a report published by the Gambling Commission last month and which comprises research into behaviours among younger people aged 11-17 years.
