“There are also plenty of watered-down online casino-type games on websites or apps where no money changes hands. Parents tend to assume these are safe for children to play but that’s not the case, says Dr Bowden-Jones. Children can get near-miss sensations and the same emotions (the highs and lows) a gambler gets, even though they are not losing anything. ‘It’s still roulette. It still excites them,’ she says.”
