Scientific Games, which produces thousands of the UK’s fixed-odds betting terminals, has drawn criticism for gambling-style apps it offers on Facebook without age checks.
The criticism comes after a watchdog report found that more than 60,000 UK children were either gambling addicts or were in danger of becoming addicted, according to a report in the UK newspaper the Guardian.
Tom Watson, the UK’s Labor Party’s deputy leader, has launched a party review of UK gambling policy.
“It is deeply worrying that games designed to get children in the habit of gambling are being marketed and played online,” he said. “The company that makes these products is cynically targeting young people, some of whom are at risk of developing gambling addictions later in life.”
Scientific Games is a U.S. firm that has provided FOBTs to Ladbrokes and casino games for several gambling websites. The company also offers a variety of free-to-play social games available as apps on Facebook. Many of the social games have themes involving cartoon characters and fairy tales.
Social gaming was named as a risk for children in a recent report by the UK Gambling Commission. The report found that children who played social games were more likely to bet money on adult gambling products.
“Among young people who have ever played online gambling-style games, a quarter had spent their own money on any gambling activity in the past week, significantly higher than the average of 12 percent among all 11- to 16-year-olds,” the report says.
Scientific Games, based in Las Vegas, is one of the largest providers of FOBTs in the UK. Scientific Games also makes online gambling software for UK firms including William Hill, Betfred and Paddy Power Betfair. The company did not comment for the Guardian report.
In a related story, Watson himself has come under criticism for accepting £30,000 in donations from casino businessman Derek Webb, even as he leads his party review of gambling laws in the country.
Watson has been s severe critic of betting terminals. The UK government is currently reviewing a planned reduction in the maximum bet to be allowed on the terminals.
However, Webb has also been a critic of the terminals. In 2012 he set up the Campaign for Fairer Gambling group that lobbies against fixed-odds betting terminals.
“I’d never met Derek when I started to highlight the dangers of these highly addictive machines,” Watson told reporters. “He is right to take a stand against them and I will continue to campaign alongside him.”
