{"id":825,"date":"2022-12-12T11:29:37","date_gmt":"2022-12-12T11:29:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.redstareducation.co.uk\/blog\/?p=825"},"modified":"2022-12-12T11:29:37","modified_gmt":"2022-12-12T11:29:37","slug":"the-blurring-boundary-between-gaming-and-gambling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.redstareducation.co.uk\/blog\/the-blurring-boundary-between-gaming-and-gambling\/","title":{"rendered":"The Blurring Boundary between Gaming and Gambling"},"content":{"rendered":"

Many video games now offer opportunities to buy upgrades and boosters. Players are encouraged to make these in-game purchases so that they use their real-world money to improve their game performance in the virtual sphere.<\/p>\n

The Statistics<\/h2>\n

According to the Gambling Commission\u2019s 2022 report<\/a>, 35% of young people had played on arcade gaming machines in the last 12 months, with 22% having used their own money to do so.<\/p>\n

Half of 11-16 year olds have experienced gambling activities over the last 12 months, and 1% of young people had spent their own money playing gambling machines in a betting shop.<\/p>\n

Why these Purchases are Tempting<\/h2>\n

Players might be limited as to how far they can progress in a game without making additional purchases. They may also be limited as to how well they can perform in the game without these extra add-ons.<\/p>\n

Blurring Boundary between Gambling and Gaming<\/h2>\n

According to the Conceptual Framework of Harmful Gambling:<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cVideo games are increasingly displaying elements and phenomena we would traditionally associate with gambling\u201d<\/h4>\n

One way in which this is happening is through gambling mini-games which can be found within some video games. These are games within a larger game, simulating the experience of gambling and being in a casino.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

There has also been the emergence of games which offer \u2018loot boxes\u2019 to these players. These loot boxes are virtual boxes containing randomised selections of game features.<\/p>\n

In 2016, the Gambling Commission identified loot boxes as a potential risk to children. Despite the fact that some people see them as a form of gambling, in July this year, Boris Johnson\u2019s government chose not to legislate to bring loot boxes under the scope of the Gambling Act 2005.<\/p>\n

Why Loot Boxes can be seen as Gambling<\/h2>\n

Gambling is when you risk money or something of value on an event with an uncertain outcome. The hope is that you might win more than you betted, creating a profit for yourself.<\/p>\n

We can then apply this definition to loot boxes. This is because the box in question has an uncertain outcome. You are taking the risk that the box may have things inside it of gaming value and be (in your eyes) worth more than what you paid. In this case, you can be seen to have made a profit.<\/p>\n

Alternatively, you may feel that the virtual contents of the box weren\u2019t worth the money you paid, in which case you have made a loss. You don\u2019t know whether the outcome will be positive or negative until after you have made the purchase, which is precisely how gaming can mirror gambling.<\/p>\n

If you want to delve more into the world of gambling, check out our blog where we discuss how gambling can ruin your finances.<\/a><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Many video games now offer opportunities to buy upgrades and boosters. Players are encouraged to make these in-game purchases so that they use their real-world money to improve their game performance in the virtual sphere. The Statistics According to the Gambling Commission\u2019s 2022 report, 35% of young people had played on arcade gaming machines in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":828,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[1],"tags":[245,210,123,18,207,252,253,248,244,250,251,246,249,247],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Blurring Boundary between Gaming and Gambling - Red Star Education Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.redstareducation.co.uk\/blog\/the-blurring-boundary-between-gaming-and-gambling\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Blurring Boundary between Gaming and Gambling - Red Star Education Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Many video games now offer opportunities to buy upgrades and boosters. 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