Image source: Unsplash
Online casinos are no longer a foreign concept to most people. They have become a common occurrence in our daily lives and have made gambling more accessible than ever before. Over the years, the casino industry has evolved into one of the most popular forms of entertainment for people around the world. Punters now have the convenience and opportunity to play with real money at online casinos. Reputable online casino sites offer tons of real money games and great payouts, but not all gambling sites are safe. There are a lot of fraudulent sites that claim to offer gaming services in order to cheat players. And that’s not all. Some cybercriminals even go one step further by offering casino apps to kids, luring them into spending money.
Online casinos are not without their own problems and controversies. Some iGaming developers often use misleading tactics and sometimes even impersonate children’s games on the AppStore to attract new players who may not be aware that they are playing an online casino game rather than a simple app game.
The Situation: Online Casinos Targeting Kids is a Cause for Concern
In the past few years, Apple has removed hundreds of apps from its App Store that were found to be using deceptive tactics to attract children. And while children are inexperienced and usually don’t check the app reviews – like many casino players do when looking for a list of operators at https://irishcasinosites.com/ to get recommendations, some shady app developers tend to take advantage of that. For instance, there are examples like Jungle Runner 2k21, which was live on AppStore, designed specifically for kids but also offers real-money gambling options.
These types of apps may use cartoonish graphics, bright colors, and catchy music–even if they don’t look like traditional online casinos–to attract children while still offering real-money gambling options for adults.
Apple has been working to remove these apps from its store, but parents should still be aware of the potential risks. The company advises parents to supervise their kids’ use of mobile devices, including monitoring app downloads and purchases. It’s also important that parents educate themselves on what types of apps are available for kids so they can make informed decisions about which ones are appropriate for their children.
Image source: Unsplash
The Issue: Online Casinos Disguised as Children’s Games
Online casinos targeting kids are a cause for concern because they can lead to a range of negative outcomes. The problem with online casinos disguising themselves as children’s games on the AppStore is that they are able to attract younger players by tapping into their psychology. Children may not realize that they are gambling with real money until it’s too late and they have lost hundreds or thousands of dollars on these apps.
This can lead to a false sense of security and financial harm caused by spending too much time playing these games instead of focusing on schoolwork or other responsibilities. These apps often offer free games that require users to sign up for an account before they can play them. Once this happens, many children will enter personal information into their profiles without realizing how dangerous it could be if someone else gets to hold those details–which is exactly what happened recently. Namely, hackers stole personal data from millions of kids’ profiles during 2018’s massive security breach at Facebook Inc., one of America’s largest social media platforms used primarily by young people today! Almost 14 million accounts were compromised, and a significant number of them were children’s accounts.
It’s also a good reason parents should be on the lookout for gambling apps that are being downloaded onto their kids’ phones without their knowledge. Many of these apps are not regulated by any government body, and they often do not require users to enter identification information when signing up for an account–which means anyone can download them with no problem.
The problem is that many of these apps are designed to be addictive, and some of them even offer in-game purchases that can cost real money. This makes them a prime target for hackers who want to take advantage of young people’s natural propensity toward gambling by using their own phones as an entry point into their lives.
The Solution: Making the Gaming Experience Safe for Children
Parents and guardians must protect their children from online casinos disguised as children’s games. As parents, you should monitor their online activity to ensure that they are not being exposed to inappropriate content.
There are several warning signs to look out for, including cartoonish graphics, vibrant colors, and catchy music. Also, keep an eye on spinning wheels and loot boxes that resemble slot machines. There are covert casino apps that offer free chips or in-game currency if the user enters personal information and multiple pop-ups asking the player if they want to make real money deposits into an account. Others display ads for other apps that feature similar themes (i.e., “free spins” or “free casino credits”). Parents can also check the app’s reviews and ratings on AppStore before downloading it onto their child’s device(s).
Conclusion
Overall, this is a very sad and disturbing trend. In an age where we’re constantly told to be wary of the dangers of online scams and hacks, it’s unsettling to think that our children could be exposed to such tactics without even knowing it. While Apple has been quick to remove these apps from their store, there could still be more out there that haven’t yet been found by authorities or reported by concerned parents. So stay as informed as possible and keep an eye out!
