Nia Griffith MP is calling on the Government to do more to reduce simulated gambling on social media sites. Simulated gambling means gambling games which are free to play, using virtual currency. Such games are available through sites such as Facebook. Speaking up during parliamentary questions, Nia went on to ask what the Government would do to prevent the promotion of online gambling being targeted at young people who are using simulated gambling sites.
Nia explained;
“I am very concerned about the impact of ‘simulated gambling’ on young people who are not yet old enough to gamble. It is only a short step from playing these games, gambling with virtual currency, to getting caught up with gambling on-line. We should be asking whether there is any place at all for simulated gambling to be on social media sites, and the Government should take action to prevent the advertising of real gambling on these sites. Gambling promoters know that they have a very susceptible audience here, and we should be making sure that they are not subject to the hard sell of on-line gambling. Under pressure from Labour, the government is talking about bringing forward a remote gambling bill, and we need to make sure that it tackles the issues.”