Most parents assume there are barriers between their child and online gambling. I’ll be honest, I thought the same.
Age checks. Payment verification. ID requirements.
And for licensed regulated sites – yes, those barriers are in place. But a growing number of sites operate in other parts of the Internet where these barriers are not in place.
No ID. No age check. No questions asked.
And this week, Ireland’s own gambling regulator raised the alarm.
So let’s talk about what’s actually happening — and what you can do about it, whether your child is eight or sixteen.
Online gambling has always existed. But what we’re seeing now is different in scale, in reach, and in invisibility.
Ireland’s Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI) recently warned that unregulated overseas gambling websites are allowing children to sign up with no identity checks whatsoever.
These are known as “no KYC” platforms — KYC stands for Know Your Client. It’s the process that makes a site verify who you are before you can deposit money and place bets.
Regulated bookmakers in Ireland are legally required to do this. Black-market sites are not. And many of them actively advertise the fact that they don’t.
One site promoted by a high-profile Irish betting tipster to thousands of followers was so unprotected that a former fraudster was able to sign up using the name of a racehorse that died in 1995.
According to a research, ‘black-market sites make gambling accessible to children, and research shows that doubles the chance of problem gambling later in life’
That’s not a small statistic. That’s worth thinking about for a moment.
If you have younger children, you might be reading this thinking “my child isn’t gambling.” And you’re probably right, not in the way we traditionally think about it.
I used to be a big gamer back in the day; Super Mario, Sonic, Street Fighter, but the games back had no loot boxes or skins you could trade or purchase.
Many of the games children play today contain mechanics that mirror gambling almost exactly.
FIFA packs. Roblox purchases. Loot boxes in popular games where you pay real or in-game money for a randomised reward you can’t see in advance.
The excitement of not knowing what you’re going to get. The urge to try again when it wasn’t what you hoped for. The thrill when it lands well.
Sound familiar?
Researchers and child development experts have been raising concerns about these mechanics for years. The worry isn’t that your child is going to go from opening a FIFA pack to placing bets on a Premier League match or the next race at Cheltenham overnight. The worry is more subtle than that; it’s about the relationship with chance, reward, and risk that is being shaped during those more formative years.
Children who grow up finding that kind of randomised reward exciting are being primed, even if unintentionally, for the feelings that gambling platforms are specifically designed to trigger.
This isn’t about banning games. It’s about being aware of what’s inside them and having conversations at home about how those mechanics work.
For parents of teenagers, the pathway looks different, and it moves faster.
Social media is saturated with gambling content. TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and Telegram channels run by high-profile tipsters and betting influencers make gambling look exciting, glamorous, and profitable. Wins are celebrated loudly. Losses are rarely mentioned.
Teenagers follow these accounts long before they’re old enough to place a bet. By the time they can access a site, the behaviour already feels normal. Even aspirational.
And when they go looking, they don’t always land on a regulated bookmaker.
They can end up on a black-market site that looks completely professional. Polished branding. Odds on all the major leagues. Easy sign-up. No ID required. Cryptocurrency accepted.
To a teenager, it looks legitimate. There’s no obvious red flag. And there’s no safety net if something goes wrong, no deposit limits, no self-exclusion tools, no one to call, and no real legal protection if money disappears.
This is the world the GRAI is trying to regulate. But the framework is still being built. The first remote betting licences aren’t expected until July 2026. Right now, there is a gap, and children and young people are at risk.
The thread that connects all of it: normalisation
Whether your child is eight or sixteen, the common thread here is normalisation.
Gambling is being woven into everyday digital life at every age, through games they play, content, the influencers children admire, and the platforms they spend hours on every day.
This isn’t anyone’s fault. But it is everyone’s responsibility to be aware of it.
The goal isn’t to make your child afraid of screens or suspicious of every game they play. The goal is to help them develop a healthy, critical awareness of what these platforms are doing and why.
We know how important this is, and that starts at home. With conversation.
Here’s the practical part, split loosely by age, but with a lot of overlap.
Check the games your child plays for loot boxes or randomised reward mechanics. Most app stores now label these. Have a simple conversation about how they work. Early conversations are key “Did you know you don’t always know what you’re going to get when you open that pack? How does that feel?”
Turn it into curiosity, not a lecture. You’re building awareness, not creating anxiety. You want them to come to you if they have concerns or worries. Open communication is key.
Look at your in-app purchase settings. Make sure purchases require your approval. This is a practical step that also opens the door to a natural conversation about money and online spending.
Talk about what they’re watching online, not just what they’re playing. Ask about the accounts they follow. If betting tipsters or gambling content is coming up in their feed, that’s worth a conversation with them.
Know the warning signs. Secrecy around devices and accounts. Unexplained spending or requests for money. Changes in mood that connect to wins or losses. Withdrawal from friends or activities. Remember as teens get older (over 18) and have their own bank account your visibility into spending will be much more reduced so early conversations are this is key.
If you’re worried, talk to them directly and calmly. Teenagers shut down when they feel judged. Stay curious. Stay open.
Remind them that if a site doesn’t ask for ID, that’s not a feature, it’s a warning sign.
These work across ages, adjust the language to suit:
“Have you ever seen gambling stuff come up on your social media or in a game? What did you think of it?”
“Are any of the guys/influencers you follow big online betters? Do you think there’s a down side to it?”
“If I showed you two websites — one that asked for your ID and one that didn’t — which one would you trust more? Why?”
Remember, these aren’t interrogations. They’re conversations. And they’re far more effective than a warning or a rule on their own.
You don’t need to have all the answers
The digital world moves fast. No parent can keep up with every platform, every site, and every new trend.
But you don’t need to.
What you need to do is to stay curious, keep the lines of communication open, and make sure your child knows they can come to you without fear of judgment if something doesn’t feel right.
Regulators are working on it. The law is catching up. But in the meantime, the most powerful protection your child has is a parent who’s involved in their child or teenager’s digital world and asking questions.
If you would like further help
👉 Download the Parents App for clear step by step guides and practical guidance
👉 Book a one to one session with me to help with any questions or guidance you might need
Stay safe online.
Wayne
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