Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the position paper published by the Gambling Commission in March concerning online gambling using virtual in-game currencies, whether they will take further steps to protect children from being exposed to such gambling.

Where online gambling using virtual in-game currencies is offered to British consumers located in Britain, a Gambling Commission license is required and licensing requirements to protect children and the vulnerable must be met including measures to prevent underage gambling.

The Gambling Commission has a range of enforcement powers available. In February 2017, following a prosecution brought by the Gambling Commission, two Directors of Game Gold Tradings Limited, a company which operated as FutGalaxy.com (an unlicensed gambling website) entered guilty pleas to offences under the Gambling Act 2005.

The Government keeps this issue under review will not hesitate to take action if it is needed to protect young people from gambling-related harm.