Underage Bingo Players

While most of us can agree that playing online bingo is a pastime for those over 18, it can be a bit difficult to actually implement this in real life. The laws are there, of course, to protect those who are vulnerable, in this case young children who may be drawn into the world of gambling without fully understanding it.

In truth, most bingo sites operate under their own regulations and are not, as such, governed by the UK Gambling Commission. These sites generally have measures put in place so that they can only accept deposits from those who are 18 years and older. However, there have been many instances in the past when a minor has managed to play bingo online and even win money in the process.

One recent example was a 16 year old boy who managed to place some bets on Sky Bingo. After winning £180, he was so overjoyed that he posted the news up on Twitter. Needless to say, this caused a few concerns among those that he knew about how he was able to play online while being underage. There was also the question of whether he was entitled to keep the winnings, especially since he had ignored one of the most basic web rules when playing bingo.

This all brings up the question of how to regulate these sites so that only those over 18 can play. Up until now, credit cards have been used as a fairly reliable method as it is illegal for minors to have one. In the future, the government is looking at forbidding credit cards from being used on gambling sites, which will make it even more difficult to stop underage gamblers from gaining access. After all, anyone can create an online bank account and send money in that way instead.

So, what do you think about all of this? How should bingo sites prevent minors from having access? Please let us know by leaving a comment in the box below!