Help kids avoid gambling online

Published: January 3, 2007

Many kids use the Web to play online games. Unfortunately, they may also find gaming or gambling sites while they are searching for a new game site.

While most games and activities are legal for minors, gambling is not.

The main differences between the types of sites are as follows:

•	Game sites usually feature card, board, word, arcade, or puzzle game types with automatic tracking and scoring. No money, real or artificial, is exchanged.
•	Gambling sites usually involve winning or losing actual money.

How parents can help

Parents should decide what types of games or game sites are appropriate for their children.

For example, your criteria could be something like the following:

•	by type of game (card and board only, or strategy and fantasy only),
•	by whether the game is played interactively with others online,
•	by the site offering the game,
•	or on a case-by-case basis.

Some other things you can do are:

1.	Know where your kids are going online and what they're doing.
2.	Establish clear rules about what online games your children can play and keep Internet-connected computers in an open area, not in your children's bedrooms.
3.	Remind your kids that it is illegal for them to gamble online. (Many countries prohibit gambling by minors, so check your local laws.)
4.	Help your kids understand how gambling works. Online gambling operations are in business to make a profit. They take in more money than they pay out.
5.	Make sure your kids always ask permission before they use your credit card number online. Online gambling generally requires the use of a credit card. If kids accrue debts online, they could ruin your credit rating and impact their own credit rating down the road.
6.	Explain that online gambling can be addictive. People can gamble uninterrupted and undetected for hours at a time. Gambling in isolation and using credit may lead to addictive gambling patterns.
7.	Investigate parental control software such as Windows Live Family Safety or the Parental Controls included in the Windows Vista operating system.