The popular metaverse platform, Roblox, is facing a high-profile lawsuit for allegedly promoting gambling among children and adolescents.
The popular immersive gaming platform, Roblox, is facing a lawsuit in the United States for allegedly promoting gambling among children and adolescents. As reported by Bloomberg Law, some parents proceeded to sue after learning that their child lost money in a bet on the platform.
The lawsuit against the company was filed this Tuesday in the Northern District of California court, according to the aforementioned media. Particularly the minor would have lost money with Roblox’s native token, Robux, on a third-party gambling platform within that metaverse.
The parents’ lawsuit implies that allowing this activity violates the Corrupt and Influenced Organizations Act. In this way, they accuse the platform of profiting from the illegal betting of children and minors in general, something explicitly prohibited. This opens a fundamental chapter in the role of the metaverse in the world of access to betting.
Lawsuit Becomes Litmus Test for Roblox
This lawsuit that Roblox is now facing will allow to clarify several elements related to the bets by the metaverses. In this sense, a precedent could be created to curb the participation of third parties in immersive platforms.
“Children, who previously could not access funds to participate in online gambling, now collectively have billions of Robux at their disposal,” said the parents of the underage victim of the platform.
This episode adds to the ongoing accusations against Roblox that it is hurting efforts to create a safe internet for children. Last May, a group of lawsuits confirmed that the company violates responsible advertising laws directed at children. Last year it also received a lawsuit from the Truth in Advertising group in Federal Trade Court.
The basis of the lawsuit is that the token of the platform, Robux, has monetary value. In fact, at the time of writing, its value is $0.008777 per unit, according to data from CoinMarketCap. In any case, those under the age of 18 can use their parents’ cards to buy tokens on the platform and Roblox knows their every move, the complaint says.
Platform Could Wash Its Hands
Roblox expressly prohibits betting and gambling in its terms and conditions. According to these, “experiences that include simulated play, including playing with virtual chips, simulated gambling, or the exchange of real money, Robux, or valuables” are prohibited.
However, the plaintiffs claim that all this is called into question, considering that they allow gambling by third parties. Aside from allowing third parties to introduce gambling, it also allows its token to be used to carry out such illegal activity, the plaintiffs say.
The representative commented that “bad actors make illegal use of Roblox’s intellectual property and trademark to operate such sites in violation of our standards.” At this point, the permissibility of the company and the filters for third parties that promote illegal activities become important.
Be that as it may, the lawsuit that Roblox is facing is not the first and surely it has elements to get out legally. However, in terms of reputation, each negative episode weighs on the company.
With all this, it can be said that the issue of metaverses and the participation of minors in a safe environment is one of the issues that will go directly to the offices of regulators in the not too distant future.
By Leonardo Pérez
