Roblox Online Casinos Investigated By UKGC
The Gambling Commission has confirmed it launched an urgent investigation as a result of claims Roblox is being used by illegal online casino operators.
Illegal casinos continue to be investigated by the Gambling Commission. © lucasgeorgewendt, Pixabay
Key Facts:
- Roblox is an online game platform and game creation system that was released in 2006
- Over half of all American children under 16 are said to use Roblox
- The platform is allegedly being used by illegal online casinos to target underage players
- Children as young as 12 have used the Roblox in-game currency to bet online
Roblox has an estimated 80 million daily active users, which makes the game one of the most popular in the world right now, especially with children.
An investigation that was carried out by Sky News found that children as young as 12 had been using Robux, the Roblox in-game currency, to play online casino games.
Although Roblox has denied having any involvement with the illegal casinos, the Gambling Commission has now confirmed it has looked into the matter.
Millions Of Users
Sky News focused its investigations around BloxFlip, Bloxmoon and RBLXWild, which were three of the largest Robux casinos out there.
The trio of online casino sites were found to get 2.8 million visitors each month, taking millions of pounds worth of bets in the process.
Robux can be bought for real money – the exchange rate is usually around £1 per 100 Robux.
The in-game Roblox currency is intended to be spent on in-game items such as experiences and clothes, but investigations show that it is also being used by players for illegal online gambling.
Roblox online casinos get access to their users’ Roblox accounts when they register, and investigations have found they make no attempt to verify the age of their players to make sure they are old enough to be gambling online legally.
Concern From UKGC
A Gambling Commission spokesperson told that the regulator is “concerned” about the serious issue of illegal gambling.
They said: “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.”
On the Roblox online casinos issue specifically, the spokesperson gave an insight into the investigation.
They added: “In this case, we have already been in contact with hosts and registrars to get these sites removed, and both sites have now been removed.”
“Criminals will always look for ways to target vulnerable people, and we would ask parents and carers to be vigilant about the sites used by children.”
Bloxmoon and RBLXWild have announced they are closing down after the investigations.
