Danish regulator warns parents about gambling-like mechanics in children’s video games

Denmark’s gambling regulator has launched a campaign warning parents that children can encounter gambling-like mechanics inside ordinary-looking video games. Spillemyndigheden’s “Kasino på børneværelset” (“Casino in the Children’s Room”) campaign went live on 26 October and directs parents to look beyond screen time and examine what games are asking children to do and buy.

The regulator’s StyrPåSpillet resource highlights mechanics that can imitate parts of gambling without treating every game feature as legally equivalent to gambling. It points to designs that create an illusion of being unusually lucky, “one more time” loops that make stopping harder, FOMO pressure around virtual purchases, and skins or other virtual items that can carry value for children and, in some cases, can be traded or sold.

The campaign also uses deliberately fake “Casino Kids” shopfronts in Aarhus, Odense and Copenhagen. They are campaign installations, not casinos admitting children. The regulator says the façades are meant to make the issue visible by presenting a child-focused casino opening as if it were real.

For parents, the practical message is simple: ask what the child is playing, how the game encourages repeat play or spending, and what virtual items mean inside that game. StyrPåSpillet provides explanations and conversation guidance for parents and professionals. Its help section also directs people dealing with actual gambling problems to the regulator’s StopSpillet helpline and other support.