Teaching Kids Gambling Through Roblox Is a Wild Idea

Roblox is a massive hit, growing from humble beginnings in 2006 to become one of the most active games in the modern landscape. The title has upwards of 85 million players a day, with plenty of user-created games giving players almost infinite options to experiment with. However, the game has suffered from plenty of controversies — including a large number of accounts that use the game’s massive scope to present sexually charged or politically volatile material to a wide audience.

That’s on top of the game’s content moderation, which has come under fire for allowing younger players to be exposed to a lot of inappropriate material. On top of all that, players have also been confounded by the game’s large inclusions of microtransactions, which many see as especially targeted at younger, more impressionable audiences. Roblox Corp CEO David Baszucki has only added fuel to that fire, however, with his recent comments suggesting that in-game betting could be a “brilliant” addition to the game — even if it also generates a whole new level of controversy.

How Roblox’s CEO Thinks Betting Could Fit Into The Game

Roblox‘s CEO thinks the game could benefit from in-game betting, which seems like a wild addition to the title amid all the other controversies that have plagued the title over the years. During an appearance on the Hard Fork podcast, David Baszucki discussed the public perception of the game and defended their tactics in moderating content to help keep young players away from predators. While contentious at times, one aspect of the interview stands out as a bizarre turn from the CEO.

When asked if Roblox could introduce an in-game betting system and prediction market, Baszucki called the idea “very fun… “I actually think it’s a brilliant idea if it can be done in an educational way that’s legal. And so, imagine no free Robux, no free prizes, just a game called Dress to Impress Predictor, where it’s not like trying to get kids’ money or anything like that. I would be a big fan of it.”

The argument is that betting in-game could be used to educate young players about the practice. Theoretically, this could be used to showcase mathematics, predictive analytics, and other core concepts of that industry. It could also keep players invested in the kind of competitive space where betting raises the stakes and adds new layers to the gameplay. Baszucki also stressed that it wouldn’t be focused on getting real money and that it would have to be done in a way that worked legally. However, both of those aspects present potentially thorny issues that Roblox might not want to engage with.

Why Bringing Betting To Roblox Would Stir Up More Controversy

Given all the recent controversies that Roblox has been entangled in, it’s wild to see the CEO of the developer behind the game embracing gambling as a potential idea for the title. Gambling has taken on a new level of controversy in recent years, especially in the United States. The digital space has only escalated questions about the impact that betting has had on people and the way it impacts their lives.

Services like DraftKings, FanDuel, and BetMGM have come under fire in recent years for their targeted approach to online gambling, especially in light of people becoming addicted or being targeted. Younger players being exposed to betting as a gameplay mechanic could only add to that crisis, accelerating the problem even further for an entirely new generation where roughly half of all young people play Roblox.

Adding that gameplay option to a title primarily played by children and already accused of making room for predatory tactics seems like an easy way to attract even more negative attention. Even when taking into consideration that the game would seemingly only introduce the elements if the game were educational, the risks present in adding that to the platform seem to severely outweigh the potential benefits.

Adding Gambling To Roblox Is A Truly Wild Idea

Roblox is a game specifically built for children, and it leaves plenty of room for invention, experimentation, and entertainment. However, it’s such an open space that bad actors are going to be able to find ways to abuse the system. That’s an unfortunate reality of digital spaces. Strong content moderation might be the only way to actively combat these problems, and Roblox has already been accused of being too lax in this regard.

Adding betting to the game would only further complicate the situation, especially given how different parts of the United States regulate gambling differently. The fact that it would also be seen as directly targeting young players (who are already being exposed to the more predatory aspects of the gaming industry through microtransactions) would only paint a darker image of Roblox in the minds of gamers, parents, and legislators.

It’s hard to imagine how the game could introduce the concept in a way that would feel genuinely and purely educational, especially if resources that can be bought or replenished with monetary transactions are at the core of the system. While it might be a way to make more money off the game in the short run, it would only further paint the title as predatory in the eyes of many. It’s a truly wild idea to consider, and one I can’t believe Roblox wouldn’t shut down right out the gate.