Just a few hours back the Obama administration has nodded its head for U.S. states to legalize online gambling in the hope of reaping billions in tax revenue and also give a boost to web based gambling. But what does it hold for the teens and tweens who are giggling away in the hope of some adult action?
The opening of online poker and many more similar gambling sites has reversed the policy of the yester years that stated that civil and criminal charges will be levied against operators who are into online gambling websites. Until yesterday, online gambling was illegal in all shape and form, but now things have changed.
Categories of online gambling are:
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- Online poker
- Online casinos
- Online sports betting
- Online bingo
- Online lotteries
Research shows that 7th to 12th graders are the actual audience who is into online gambling. These are the same kids who are three times more likely to consume alcohol, take drugs, have sex or be involved in some or other kind of violent activity. Even suicide attempts are higher in this group. Definitely gambling is just not entertainment…it becomes an addiction. As parents, then it becomes our responsibility to make sure our kids can’t access online gambling websites.
Tips for Parents Preventing Kids from Online Gambling
What Parents Can Do
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- Before you let your kid go online, you need to set clear rules on what sites are allowed and what are not. This will to a certain extent limit the boundaries of what kind of games he or she will play online. Make it absolutely clear, any violation of this rule and there will be a price to pay.
- Keep reminding your kids that is illegal for minors to engage in online gambling. You can also help them understand the nature of online gambling and how the entire thing works. Explain to them, that these sites take in more money than they pay out and hence there is hardly a chance of their winning anything.
- Keep your credit card out of the reach of your kid and make sure they never use your credit card without your knowledge or permission.
- Be an active participant in your child’s gaming experience. Simply playing a game or two with your kids can help you bond with them and will also give you a chance to spend some quality time together.
Parental Control Software to Block Online Gambling Websites
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We all know about parental control software available and this is one place where you should use it. The work of these parental control software is to give protection from all the pernicious Internet content. The software filters websites that contain online gambling, pornographic, satanic, extremist and other unsuitable information. The software will support user-defined URL and keywords block. The software will silently work in the background without your kid realizing it. So, as parents all you need to do is change the settings and your kid is safe.
So, if you don’t want to sit around hoping an online gambling censorship will come up and safeguard your kids, grab one of these software and keep online gaming fun and entertaining and nothing more than that.
I think that now,it is up to the parents to do something about it. It is now in their turf to block these websites that are likely to be browsed by the minors.