Facebook has caused a social revolution in our times and when it comes to interacting online it is definitively the biggest and most popular of the social media platforms available online. According to recent reports, Facebook is said to be considering entering the online gambling industry buy offering real money games to its users. These reports found substantiation at a recent dinner hosted by Facebook in London that included a number of online gambling industry players.

In spite of the UK’s regulation and general acceptance of online gambling, the idea of Facebook offering online games for money has met with negative reactions and criticism across the United Kingdom. The Daily Mail recently reported that more than 3 million Facebook patrons in the United Kingdom are aged between 13 and 17 and that an additional million are under the age of 13 but pretend to be older in order to access the network. These figures have raised concerns about the danger of underage gambling should Facebook proceed with plans to make this offering available.

According to Dr Robert Lefever, founding director of the Promis Recovery Centre, an organisation involved in the treatment of gambling addictions, he is of the opinion that if the youth see something on Facebook they will think that it is acceptable and not hesitate to try it. Lauri Moyle of the Christian Action Research Education (CARE) concurred, adding that there is a link between the age at which people begin gambling and the likelihood of developing difficulties in controlling their gambling habits. She said that giving children the impression that gambling is normal would be harmful to them. When interviewed on the subject, Professor Mark Griffiths of Nottingham Trent University stated that he was anti children playing games of chance even when money did not change hands because these types of games could develop into a gateway for serious gambling in future.

While The Daily Mail did approach Facebook for comment, the social media giant refrained from doing so, stating that the company is always in talks with other companies on a variety of ideas and subjects but they would not comment on future plans or public speculation.

Time will tell whether Facebook will proceed with its plans to launch online gambling applications, but one thing is for sure, if it does it will have to require strict authentication via Passport or Identification Documents to ensure that all players are above the legal age for gambling.