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Protecting the gamers from the so-called Social Games

While Romania makes its first steps towards creating a foundation which will deal with the Responsible Gaming issues, the countries which already have extensive experience in the field of protecting those players prone to gaming issues are pulling another alarm system – the one related to the so called Social Games. 

You surely know what this is about – you see it on almost every social network, and many of them are inspired from casino specific themes. Although nobody seems to give it much importance – besides those who play these games and who dedicate more and more hours to playing them – there are voices in the gambling industry who say we should give this issue our full attention, because this is the fastest growing segment in the gaming industry and, without some rules in this field, things are likely to get complicated as far as the players responsibility is concerned.

A too little known and monitored field

Although the industry of these social games is growing as Prince Charming – in a year as much as others in 7 years – there is not a single unanimously accepted definition of these games. Not to mention a complex analysis of the risks involved, an analysis which must be correlated with the issues of the responsible gaming in the field of the let’s say “classic” gambling. The producers and operators of these social games claim that they cannot be placed in the category of gambling, and, therefore, there is no need for a specific regulation. 

But considering the fact that people spend more and more time and even spend more and more money on these games – which are seen by some responsible gaming specialists as real gates towards the real gambling – the issue of the necessity of certain protection measures for the consumers arises. We are dealing with a totally new field, with an explosive growing rate, which must be treated with precaution by the regulating authorities in each state.

The data on the players’ behavior, extremely important

Of course, for the time being, no country rushes to regulate these social games, it would be hasty without the existence of data showing a real situation. But the United States have already talked about a guide of protective norms for the social games consumers, and Great Britain, by the voice of the national regulating authority, Gambling Commission – the equivalent of the National Office for Gambling in Romania – presented a report in January 2015 where it showed its concern about this new field. 

In order to be able to talk about norms and regulations, it is extremely important for the authorities to get real data on the social gaming players’ behavior. The game mechanisms are not always transparent, there is no clear difference between the games which involve real money, not just virtual amounts, and the biggest problem of all for the gaming officials – there is no age limit for those who can access these games. The number one concern is about the underage players and how will these social games influence their behavior towards gambling later, in their teen years and in their adult life.

The fact is that an honest dialogue and a way for debate must be open between the authorities and those offering these social games on the market. Including in our country, where, although we don’t have any statistics on this, we can assume that the social gaming market is doing very well. ROMBET will resume soon on the subject of social gaming and its implications in its series of articles dedicated to responsible gambling.

As usual, you can send us your opinions and questions at office[at]rombet.com.

This article was originally published by Rombet in Casino Life and Business Magazine no 65/2015

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