What does my child see?

Young people’s brains are not yet fully developed. As a result, they are particularly sensitive to excitement and rewards, and find it difficult to resist temptation or stop in time.

Online gambling capitalises on this:

• You can gamble on your mobile any time, anywhere.
• You’ll know straight away if you’ve won.
• You can start gambling again straight away.

On social media, you mainly see success stories and big wins. This makes it seem as though everyone is making money easily from gambling, but in fact most people lose money.

If your child watches a lot of videos about gambling, it may seem as though gambling is normal. It isn’t.

Not every child who tries something runs into problems straight away. But gambling carries risks. Your child may:

• Spending money secretly on gambling or in-game purchases
• Struggling to stop gambling
• Getting distracted from school and other things
• Problemen krijgen met geld
• Getting into financial difficulties
• Wanting to keep gambling in the hope of recouping losses

The earlier someone starts gambling, the greater the likelihood of problems later on.

Some young people do not talk about their gambling behaviour because they feel ashamed. This can cause problems to get worse.

You can’t stop your child from seeing everything online, but you can help them become more resilient to the temptations of gambling.

1. Talk to your child about online gambling
For example, ask:

• “Do you ever watch videos about gambling?”
• “What do you think the chances are of someone actually winning a lot?”
• “Are bets being shared on social media?”

Listen carefully and don’t jump to conclusions. That way, your child will keep talking.

2. Explain how gambling works
Explain that the chances of losing are greater than the chances of winning.
Gambling companies make money because people lose more often than they win.

3. Make clear arrangements

• Agree with your child that they won’t gamble.
• Do not let your child gamble using your account.
• Agree on rules regarding in-game purchases.
• Check which apps and games your child is using.

4. Set a good example yourself
Children watch what their parents do. Do you ever gamble yourself? If so, it’s best not to do so when your child is watching.
Talk to your child about how you manage risks and what rules you’ve set for yourself.

By talking things through, explaining things and making clear agreements, you can help your child cope better with the temptations of gambling. This reduces the likelihood of gambling becoming a problem. You can find more information and support for parents here.