SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
A reported proliferation of gambling on the widely used online computer game Roblox has caught the attention of the Danish Gambling Authority (DGA).
In its latest report into the extent of illegal gambling in Demark and how it is trying to counter it, the Spillemyndigheden stated that it has become concerned with ‘skin betting’ in recent years.
In particular, a form of skin betting on Roblox whereby users gamble using the game’s in-house virtual currency, the Robux, as a deposit is ringing alarm bells at the regulator.
The authority has become aware of a form of Robux called ‘earned Robux’ which can be paid out in US dollars or Danish Krona through the Roblox Developer Exchange Programme.
“This is used by several third-party websites where you can use Robux as deposits and winnings in betting, casino games and lotteries,” the DGA states.
Not the first rodeo for Roblox
Roblox T&Cs state that although gambling content is allowed on the platform, actual gambling – whether for real-world money or the digital Robux cash – is not permitted.
A statement on its site reads: “Except where prohibited by local law or regulation, we allow unplayable gambling content, such as references to gambling and related imagery. However, we prohibit both simulated and actual gambling activities on the platform.”
The company updated its age verification rules and guidelines back in 2023 to allow depictions of gambling, as well as alcohol, dating and the use of swear words, but such content is restricted to those of the right legal age.
Regardless, the depiction of any gambling content on the platform and in particular the more recent report highlighted by the DGA of actual gambling-for-cash taking place are not a great look for the platform.
Around half of its user base are under 18 and over a quarter are under 13 – the exposure of these individuals, who across all regulated jurisdictions would not be old enough to gamble, is more than enough of a cause for concern for regulators.
The DGA, meanwhile, sees Robux betting as falling under its regulatory remit due to a court ruling in 2022 that websites offering Roblox logins with information like customer support partially written in Danish can be considered as targeting the country’s market.
Its statement continued: “The computer game Roblox is particularly popular among children and young people under the age of 18. Therefore, Robux betting can be a problem because it also means that many young people under the age of 18 can access gambling via Robux betting.
“On almost all illegal Robux betting websites, the Roblox login can be used for access. This is problematic as the Roblox login is associated with the legal gaming platform and communicates easier access for young people in particular to participate in gambling.”
DGA and Big Tech
Separately to Roblox but also within the sphere of online social gaming and networks, the DGA also provided some details on the work it is doing with Google, Facebook and Twitch to counter illegal gambling.
The latter platform as well as the former’s YouTube network have been getting a lot of regulatory attention in particular lately. YouTube notably updated some guidelines earlier this month around what gambling content influencers can and cannot post, with the platform having been facing scrutiny over this content in countries like Brazil.
Twitch, on the other hand, has a long-history with gambling content and has been making a lot of efforts to reduce streaming of said content to underage audiences. In 2022 it banned its users from streaming content from several gambling platforms and in 2024 its content classification guidelines were praised by UK telecoms regulator Ofcom.
For its part, the DGA states that it has been able to secure partnerships with Google, Facebook and Twitch. These partnerships have enabled the regulator to access gambling content distributed across each platform and alert the companies when an illegal product or firm is targeted at Danish consumers.
“The Danish Gambling Authority is working to establish more collaborations with other media, where we see illegal gambling or the illegal provision of gambling taking place,” its statement on social media collaborations continued.
“If you want to help the Danish Gambling Authority in our supervision, we encourage you to document the gambling offer with pictures or video and links to any websites, Facebook groups, apps, etc.”
