It starts as a fun spare time, turns into a hobby and can end as an addiction. The gaming experience is a dangerous trap that many young people fall for.
Today, mobile casino games are easily available, offer fantastic promotions and interactive gameplay. They have become a real threat to teenagers and their parents as well.
But if you notice suspicious behavior early and provide instant support, it will be easier to prevent your children or siblings from getting addicted. Find out why teens start gambling, which mobile gambling features attract them, how gaming can affect players, and learn about specific device addictions from the following reviews.
Why do teens start gambling?
Gambling as addiction has been discovered a long time ago, and there are different recommended methods to prevent or cure it.
You need to be over 21 to enter a regular land-based casino or other gambling venues.
While it takes just a strong Internet connection to enter an online casino from the favorite mobile anytime. Modern teenagers don’t even need ‘classic’ money to start playing mobile casino games as some platforms deal with Bitcoin payments exclusively.
Moreover, there are lots of free mobile casinos that allow teens to play various table games on smartphones, including video poker, baccarat, roulette, blackjack by earning and losing points or trophies.
While it doesn’t seem like a big deal, mobile gambling can really set a serious psychological problem and evolve into addiction later.
So what is it in mobile casinos that make them so attractive to teenagers?
Mobile gambling features attract teens
Mobile casinos come in the form of websites and apps.
They are accessible from phone, tablet or laptop in any part of the world. So if you have an Android, iOS, Blackberry, you will come across plenty of online casinos’ choices for the mobile device. And the main reason why games are so popular and widespread is that they give gamers the amazing feeling of reality while playing.
The majority of the currently famous mobile casinos create an illusion that players are at a real casino playing real money.
But at the same time, people admit that gambling online is different from gambling in the brick-and-mortar casinos as you don’t always have to bet actual money.
Casinos online create a mobile user-friendly interface of the game, just like the one you might play in the Vegas casino.
So basically they let you have real casino experience. Players can have a match with live dealers and gamers as many times as they want. They can indeed bet actual money or virtual points. . A good example of this is BoostCasino.com.
They can get a generous package of bonuses like 100 free spins or 20 bonus spins. Finally, they can hit wins… or losses. Betting is what creates a psychological addiction in the first place.
Those who enjoy getting quick rewards, taking risks, and acting impulsively are the ones who are likely to become gamblers. Still, such experience should be taken responsibly.
Mobile gaming helps players to escape reality and relax. It also helps them receive recognition, fast money, social interaction, positive emotions, etc.
Gambling seems like entertainment
Gambling-like games are so widespread on the Internet, among mobile apps, and on social media that children see them as fun, and not as true gambling experience.
Besides, when you have friends who are into such games, it’s easier to catch up. Lots of gambling games encourage players to invite friends. Besides, most casinos mobile provide customers with features like a message option, so that you can live chat with your mates for hours.
Thus, with the friendly gameplay and convenient interface teens might not see a big difference between mobile casinos and social networks.
In addition, many teens see their parents gamble while also enjoying it.
So they follow suit. Casino apps offer a selection of games for the youth to have a wide range of choice. They can download different types of online games from any preferred app store and try out the game instantly.
The only requirement is that the titles should be compatible with their devices. There is also a variety of casino reviews on the Web, so teenagers can easily choose the favorite service to use.
It is a way to earn money
When you are a teenager, there is always something that you want, but cannot get. And your parents are not likely to buy it for you either. Then what is the fastest way to earn some pocket money? Or maybe win a few jackpots and become independent?
The majority of online casino sites let newcomers win using bonus offers. Thus, teens are eager to apply this bonus to play. Often they can’t predict the risks and follow the illusion of having control over wagering. But, in reality, they don’t.
The desire to bet and get a reward immediately is what drives most teens towards online gambling. And it is a slippery slope.
It’s easy to become a member
A mobile game doesn’t require much for the registration.
Besides, teens skip terms and conditions and go straight to the sign-up procedure. All they have to include during registration is their login name and password.
Sometimes, IDs are not asked. Also, newcomers get special casino offers.
For example, they can get 100 up to 300 free dollars to bet, 20 free spins, 100 bonus spins, deposit 100, or many other exclusive features for the selected games. So it’s quite easy for a user to get involved in live casino games.
The chance of getting ‘awards’ and money from gaming in a live casino is what attracts the youth.
A player doesn’t need to be extremely skilled to get positive results. For lots of teens live dealer games is an opportunity to feel and act like adults. Thus, they prefer to search for such opportunities to earn money rather than turn to parents for help.
Finally, they want to feel lucky and simply gamble on different sites until they hit the jackpot. It’s easy to love such kind of entertainment.
What are other mobile device addictions?
Games mobile is not the only addiction that targets teenagers these days.
Having been named ‘digital natives’, these kids have a wide choice of gadgets at hand from an early age. So, they are far more proficient in using them than their parents. Thus, here is what you should also look out for.
Nomophobia
Have you ever noticed that your child or sibling is carrying a smartphone anywhere they go? Have you noticed teenagers’ panic growing when they go out without their gadgets? If the answer is “yes”, it’s likely to be claimed as nomophobia – the fear of being without your phone or not having access to it.
It is a highly irrational fear that is quite common nowadays. We completely rely on the technology that leaving the house without it seems like a nightmare.
Sleeping next to a mobile phone, constantly checking it all the time and not taking a break from iPhone, iPad or Android mobile devices are a sign of nomophobia, and can affect the brain negatively.
So, it depends on you, as a parent, whether or not your child will become subject to nomophobia. Remember that the limited use of phones, tablets, and even desktop computers is a simple way to safe digital life.
Instruct them on taking a break from mobile phones, or list the rules, or ‘terms & conditions’ on using them.
Social media addiction
The urge to post online every step you take and every wild thought you have in mind is definitely a valid sign of social media addiction.
When teenagers start doing something just to get recognition online, the situation gets dangerous. It’s okay if they are just taking pictures of cute coffee cups.
It’s frightening when they take some extra risk just to look cool in the social media application.
To fight this, try to introduce the so-called ‘social media detox’ for a day or even a week. Still, you can allow your child to visit such sites to read the news online, for example.
Virtual relationships
Being addicted to social media can lead to another dreadful consequence – addiction to virtual relationships.
It means that real-life personal relationships don’t have the same value or rank for a teenager anymore. He or she is more eager to spend time online chatting with their virtual friends on a daily basis. And it’s not about convenience.
Virtual relationships addiction can result in the inability to socialize with mates in real life, loneliness, and social exclusion. It can be quite harmful to teens, for whom it is vital to learn how to build responsible relationships in the real world.
Summary
Mobile casino sites are open to everyone at the international scale.
Besides, they offer an exciting world of easy money, a range of casino mobile options, exclusive bonus offers, and lots of fun.
This modern-time gaming can add to gambling addiction among teens. Gambling addiction is just as serious and hard to overcome as any other sort of addictions, but at the same time, it is much harder to spot.
So be attentive, notice any different behavior of your children and talk to them about the bad traps of gambling and other mobile addictions. You can also refer to this article, which is certainly worth reading, especially for mobile users.
