Chat Avenue and Underage Gambling

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The_NewBoy

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This thread relates to rooms that are marketed as for ages 13+ and also have a dice game.

Since the virtual currency used to play with can be obtained using legal tender, the game is equivalent to gambling for money.

Moderators can play in main rooms and the results - including losses and earnings - are displayed for everyone to see.

To the best of my knowledge, no age verification is required when creating an account or setting your age, making a policy of limiting dice rolls to certain ages pointless.

I'm not claiming this problem is unique to Chat Avenue, but it is certainly normalizing, and potentially glamorizing, the concept of gambling to minors.

How do you feel about chat avenue:-
  1. exposing minors to gambling?
  2. allowing them to take part?
P.S: I won't comment on the relevant legalities, but if anyone has knowledge in this area I'd be interested to hear.
 
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It is not illegal. There’s no monetary gain being paid out to minors. If someone chooses to spend real money on something that is their own prerogative. It’s no different than online games that you can buy mods, perks, or whatever for better game playing.

Also to point out I can literally download any game on my iPhone and it will have ads and entice me to spend real money for better game play. This in chat dice game ain’t doing anymore damage than what every kid uses in todays world.
 
Ks_guy said:
It is not illegal. There’s no monetary gain being paid out to minors. If someone chooses to spend real money on something that is their own prerogative. It’s no different than online games that you can buy mods, perks, or whatever for better game playing.
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theres no monetary gain in freemium mobile games,

but those are still classified as a form of gambling, especially when its gift bags or w.e with randomized items that are potentially worthless compared to something say rare with the odds against u from obtaining 🤷🏼‍♀️

which makes it gambling; same principle can be applied here, boy-o…

ive addressed these same concerns when the dice game was presented ~

no one cared then, no one will care now 💅🏻
 
The_NewBoy said:
This thread relates to rooms that are marketed as for ages 13+ and also have a dice game.

Since the virtual currency used to play with can be obtained using legal tender, the game is equivalent to gambling for money.

Moderators can play in main rooms and the results - including losses and earnings - are displayed for everyone to see.

To the best of my knowledge, no age verification is required when creating an account or setting your age, making a policy of limiting dice rolls to certain ages pointless.

I'm not claiming this problem is unique to Chat Avenue, but it is certainly normalizing, and potentially glamorizing, the concept of gambling to minors.

How do you feel about chat avenue:-
  1. exposing minors to gambling?
  2. allowing them to take part?
P.S: I won't comment on the relevant legalities, but if anyone has knowledge in this area I'd be interested to hear.
Click to expand...
Hello, I understand your concern and Ks_guy summed up my thoughts on this nicely.
I see this more as a game than true gambling. You can play this game without spending a penny, as opposed to actual gambling where you are risking your own money.
I think the bigger concern (at least in my opinion) is that it seems like real gambling has become much more prevalent in the past 2-3 years than it was in the past. There are many more advertisements for it online and on other forms of media. And there are many more companies offering gambling services. Real gambling can be just as addictive as drugs and have even more devastating consequences.
 
The_NewBoy said:
This thread relates to rooms that are marketed as for ages 13+ and also have a dice game.

Since the virtual currency used to play with can be obtained using legal tender, the game is equivalent to gambling for money.

Moderators can play in main rooms and the results - including losses and earnings - are displayed for everyone to see.

To the best of my knowledge, no age verification is required when creating an account or setting your age, making a policy of limiting dice rolls to certain ages pointless.

I'm not claiming this problem is unique to Chat Avenue, but it is certainly normalizing, and potentially glamorizing, the concept of gambling to minors.

How do you feel about chat avenue:-
  1. exposing minors to gambling?
  2. allowing them to take part?
P.S: I won't comment on the relevant legalities, but if anyone has knowledge in this area I'd be interested to hear.
Click to expand...
Uh Gawd help us

Streaming Catherine Tate GIF by BritBoxUK
 
babydolla said:
ive addressed these same concerns when the dice game was presented ~

no one cared then, no one will care now 💅🏻
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I care. 🙂

TheDifference said:
I think the bigger concern (at least in my opinion) is that it seems like real gambling has become much more prevalent in the past 2-3 years than it was in the past. There are many more advertisements for it online and on other forms of media. And there are many more companies offering gambling services. Real gambling can be just as addictive as drugs and have even more devastating consequences.
Click to expand...
I agree that the issue of gambling society-wide is pretty big. However, what you're loosely implying here is that if society has a widespread problem, that somehow absolves any individual organisation of their moral responsibility on the issue to a degree. You'd have a very hard time selling this to an ethicist. In fact, they'd almost certainly argue that as a problem becomes more prevalent, it's then even more important that individual organisations take a strong moral stance on it.

Your claim that it doesn't count as gambling isn't strictly accurate since - as I mention in the OP - the virtual currency and legal tender are directly linked. This argument doesn't address the issue of normalizing and glamorising gambling to minors, which is perhaps the most important part of the issue.
 
The_NewBoy said:
I agree that the issue of gambling society-wide is pretty big. However, what you're loosely implying here is that if society has a widespread problem, that somehow absolves any individual organisation of their moral responsibility on the issue to a degree.
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That’s not what I was implying at all. I was simply commenting on the bigger societal issue that I’ve noticed.
The_NewBoy said:
You'd have a very hard time selling this to an ethicist. In fact, they'd almost certainly argue that as a problem becomes more prevalent, it's then even more important that individual organisations take a strong moral stance on it.
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It’s a simple game for fun. Not really a moral or ethical stance needed here.
The_NewBoy said:
Your claim that it doesn't count as gambling isn't strictly accurate since - as I mention in the OP - the virtual currency and legal tender are directly linked. This argument doesn't address the issue of normalizing and glamorising gambling to minors, which is perhaps the most important part of the issue.
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While they may be linked you don’t need to risk your own money to play the game, that’s why I see this more as a game than true gambling. I also think using words like “glamorizing” is a bit hyperbolic. I don’t see the dice game as “glamorizing” anything. It’s just a simple, fun game IMHO.
 
The_NewBoy said:
I care. 🙂


I agree that the issue of gambling society-wide is pretty big. However, what you're loosely implying here is that if society has a widespread problem, that somehow absolves any individual organisation of their moral responsibility on the issue to a degree. You'd have a very hard time selling this to an ethicist. In fact, they'd almost certainly argue that as a problem becomes more prevalent, it's then even more important that individual organisations take a strong moral stance on it.

Your claim that it doesn't count as gambling isn't strictly accurate since - as I mention in the OP - the virtual currency and legal tender are directly linked. This argument doesn't address the issue of normalizing and glamorising gambling to minors, which is perhaps the most important part of the issue.
Click to expand...
Aren’t most things in life a gamble? Deciding to have children for instance. Did you ever get a say in whether you would have liked to have been born? No, and look how that worked out for you. a grown-ass 40 year old trolling a 5-10 user chatroom.

charlton heston laughing GIF
 
Honestly,

Nobody takes DICE seriously, most of us joke about it if we do end up using it. It is a game lol, nobody really gets addicted to it. 😭😭
 
@TheDifference slot machines are designed to be simple and fun, that doesn't mitigate the moral issues with letting children use or be exposed to them at all.

On the issue of normalising... if a minor sees adults engaging in certain behaviours, they may be less likely to see them as an issue as they grow up. This can significantly contribute to the big gambling issues in society you mentioned earlier.
 
Ks_guy said:
It’s no different than online games that you can buy mods, perks, or whatever for better game playing.
Click to expand...
Alot of games actually got banned in many countries for loot box type things.


...hence why all games now have basically everything behind a pay wall, cause you can't just gamble for it
 
The_NewBoy said:
@TheDifference slot machines are designed to be simple and fun, that doesn't mitigate the moral issues with letting children use or be exposed to them at all.
Click to expand...
The dice game is not equivalent to a true gambling machine.

The_NewBoy said:
On the issue of normalising... if a minor sees adults engaging in certain behaviours, they may be less likely to see them as an issue as they grow up. This can significantly contribute to the big gambling issues in society you mentioned earlier.
Click to expand...
I agree that many minors can be influenced by what they see adults doing. And once they grow up they may decide to enjoy real gambling. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Millions of people gamble without becoming addicted to it.
 
I don't think underage people should be gambling. Especially if you're talking about real money. This is my opinion only.
 
...if you are buying gold for this site, for any reason other than a name change (which is still bullshit, and id just leave your phone on a while)... thats a level of stupidity that honestly... lets just say I hope you get a wake up call rq
 
On topic though, yes I see the OP’s point.

However I don’t think it’s as bad as it’s being made out to be.

- no financial transactions are being made.
- no money is being lost.
- you’re not losing any value (unless you have a warped mind like a certain ‘female’ member on here with chatgold)
- post pertains to ua members, credit cards aren’t issued until 18 (i dont know about the USA)

may as close down funfair/ game attractions. Spending money and you get wiped out on a game? You play again.

Isn’t that gambling?
 
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