• by Cory Treffiletti , Featured Contributor, May 8, 2024

One area of media that’s grown dramatically in recent years is sports betting and gambling.  FanDuel and Draft Kings are household names and reaching millions of people in the U.S. alone.  Sports betting has spawned all sorts of offshoots, but there are limits in many states, and while I don’t mind the idea, I have to say a line should be drawn when it comes to our kids.

Dave & Buster’s announced last week it would be allowing small wagers on arcade games on site, through a partnership with a company called Lucra Sports.  That means when you square up on skeeball or the Pop-A-Shot with your kids, you can drop a $5 bet on who will win.  Maybe when you step up to the dancing game, you decide to go a little more intense and bet your opponent a few bucks on whether you can school them with your moves.

I like bragging rights, and I love being a bit competitive with my friends, but I do not support the idea of encouraging kids to start betting at a young age.  Dave & Buster’s is open to everyone, and while it may serve drinks and food, the attraction is for kids.  It’s a slippery slope to have my kids watching people gambling in such a kid-friendly environment.

I know the arguments that will pop up.  Kids are already given access to these kinds of gamified experiences through the apps on their phones.  Many of these apps have age gates, and Dave & Busters could implement age gates as well.  Sure, all of this is true, but the company is depending on parents to moderate the environment, which is a lot to expect given we already have so much surface area to cover.

Gambling is fun, in moderation, but it is certainly something that can become addictive.  We need to do a better job of creating an environment that protects a little of the innocence our kids have left.  The innocence of playing games in an arcade should be enjoyed by all.  I don’t need to see kids making wagers on who wins Rocket League and spending more money than they already do. 

The games are super-expensive already, but I don’t want my kid coming and asking for more money because they lost a bet with their buddies and had to pay out their allowance.  That is the actual conversation that will be had as a result of this idea.

Sports betting and the content that surrounds it is media. It falls to us to see all the necessary steps are being taken to ensure proper use of the media and proper audience access.

I know Dave & Buster’s is simply trying to create new ways to entertain, but I hope the company puts the proper kind of safeguards in place to ensure kids can’t start gambling.  I hope its strategists look at the idea objectively and realize kids shouldn’t be exposed to gambling in this way, setting the stage for something they will want to dive into as soon as they can.  Age restrictions are a good thing; I wish we had a few more to protect kids and help them be kids as long as they can.

Next time you go to an arcade, look around and think through what you see.  Is that an environment for gambling?  Do you want your kids to be in that environment?