An “illegal casino network” allegedly allows children to gamble using their Roblox currency.
According to a Sky News investigation, children as young as 12 have been able to gamble using their Roblox accounts on unlicensed sites and casinos that operate outside of the Roblox ecosystem.
Although casinos are not listed on Roblox and the company has attempted to discourage illegal sites, children can reportedly use their Roblox login credentials and the Roblox currency, Robux, to access gambling at “casinos.” robux” like BloxFlip, RBLXWild and Bloxmoon. The latter, which acquired RBLXWild earlier this year, has pocketed “a total of $11.4m (£8.9m) […] since its launch at the end of 2022.”
Although some casinos ask players to provide a date of birth or check a box to confirm they are over 18, they “do not attempt to verify the user’s age.”
One respondent told Sky News that he started gambling at the age of 14 and had lost around 15 million Robux, the equivalent of around $190,700 (£150,000). Although his mother “tried to get [him] stop,” he “just liked the adrenaline of making bigger and bigger bets.
“I just thought it was something you could do to make extra money,” he said. “I didn’t even know what the game was.”
A friend of the boy reportedly threatened to kill himself after he lost 20,000 Robux (the equivalent of about $250/£200) “on a single spin of the roulette wheel.”
Sky News said the boy’s friends were unsure “if he was serious, but the group did not want to involve adults for fear of revealing his gaming habits.”
“We just tried to calm him down ourselves,” the defendant added.
Responding to the investigation, Gambling Commission chief executive Andrew Rhodes said: “At the end of the day, illegal casino operators are criminals. They are supported by criminal gangs and are part of the criminal world. It is important that everyone “All of us do our part to try to thwart them.”
Commenting that all partners, including parents, should be “vigilant” about what their children do online, Rhodes added that parents “must remember that criminals are always trying to find ways to exploit children and others.” and be aware of that risk.
BloxFlip went offline shortly after Sky News approached the site with its findings. Bloxmoon and RBLXWild also disappeared, with notices on their websites saying they had “ceased operations.”
However, the site’s moderators have been caught encouraging players to bypass regional bans by using VPNs, and both Bloxmoon and RBLXWild have previously moved their operations to slightly different URLs.
Roblox was reportedly suing some of the illegal casinos for copyright infringement and breaching their terms of service.
“We have a group dedicated to identifying potentially fraudulent activity on Roblox and work closely with law enforcement authorities where possible to pursue the owners of such websites,” a Roblox spokesperson told Sky News.
“Our efforts have had some success, but we would welcome more law enforcement action and vigilance from web hosting providers to shut down sites like this.”
GameIndustry.biz He has also independently contacted Roblox for comment.
Roblox recently announced significant changes to its safety systems and parental controls to protect children under 13 years of age.
