UK Gambling Commission release eSports betting position paper

The boss of the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has publicly warned parents that they need to guard against their kids blowing their lunch money on eSports skin betting sites.

On Wednesday, UKGC CEO Sarah Harrison (pictured) issued a statement alerting parents to the “dangers of gambling associated with video games.” Harrison said parents could be giving their offspring money “thinking that they are playing a computer game when in fact they are gambling and this is real worry [sic].”

Harrison referenced the growing phenomenon of gambling sites that use in-game virtual items commonly known as skins as betting currency, while stressing that regulators “need to make sure all gambling is fair, safe, crime-free and protects the young and vulnerable.”

Harrison’s concerns were echoed by Department of Media, Culture & Sport undersecretary Tracy Crouch, who warned of “unlicensed websites jumping on the back of popular video games and encouraging children to gamble.”