Popular, long-running online game Runescape is being widely criticised for encouraging youngsters to gamble..Australian gamer, parent and former gambling addict Jakob Gamertsfelder is a veteran Runescape player but is now one of many actively protesting about the game’s new direction – what he describes as “an online casino aimed at children”. Most of the complaints are directed at Squeal of Fortune, which was added early this year and allows players to “buy spins” to a virtual wheel of fortune to win prizes. Jakob says Squeal of Fortune is “marketing aimed at habituating and incentivising gambling, directly aimed at kids”. “My motivation comes not just from the good memories of spending time with my kids in Runescape but also from remembering what it feels like to be caught up in a gambling addiction, which I was for some years.” Last year a gambling industry veteran urged sports betting agencies to target video gamers, while a study suggested teenager game players had brains “like gambling addicts”. Meanwhile, research in 2009 suggested teenagers who regularly play video games are more likely to develop anti-social behaviour that can lead to problem gambling.
Jakob Gamertsfelder is particularly angry that Runescape’s new owners Jagex changed the terms and conditions of Runescape around the same time as launching Squeal of Fortune. The changes ensure the company is not liable if a player uses someone else’s credit card. He says this seems to have been done because Jagex expects kids to use their parent’s cards without permission. “The timing indicates the intent,” Jakob says. “It annoys the crap out of me that Jagex does something this malicious and then fobs off responsibility to parents.”