Ever since the internet brought the game of poker into people’s homes, the issue of underage people – kids – playing online has been an issue. The “normal” online poker industry has taken strong steps to try to thwart underage players, but a new threat looms on the horizon. A recent article at Bloomberg.com illustrates this situation and just how difficult the latest innovation in the online world, virtual reality (or VR), is for these online companies.
“It’s Incredibly Concerning”
The Bloomberg.com article, written by Thomas Seal , does not exactly paint the world of VR poker in a good light. Seal assumes that a person involved in one of the VR games, from the way their avatar is dressed and their voice, is underage. Seal also points out a situation where another player says that they are in fifth grade, which Seal indicates that they are “aged either 10 or 11.”
Although he cannot document these stories with evidence of underage play, Seal does bring it to the attention of Flutter Entertainment, the ownership of PokerStars and its VR extension, PokerStars VR . “There is a zero-tolerance approach to any player that acts in breach our of terms of service and community standards, circumvents our age rating, uses toxic language or behaves inappropriately, all of which can lead to permanent bans,” Seal quotes a Flutter spokesperson. “We are investing to enhance player protections, including the roll-out of AI-driven tools to support our moderators, and are working closely with Meta and other technology partners to continually raise standards.”
But regulators are taking a harder approach to the subject than Flutter and one of its competitors, Poker VR, seem to be taking.
One of the members of the British House of Commons, MP Carolyn Harris, is a staunch opponent of underage gambling. Harris stated to Seal, “”If you took a child into a casino there would be a public outcry…this is no different.” Andy Burrows, the head of child safety online for the British National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, is quoted by Seal as stating, ““It’s incredibly concerning,” […]
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