Is it Time to Talk With Your Child About Responsible Gaming?

Did you know that 66% of parents never talk to their children about gambling? With Communicate with Your Kids Month taking place in October, Change the Game Ohio encourages you to speak with the child in your life about responsible gaming habits and how gaming can sometimes look a lot like gambling.

Youth who gamble are more likely to engage in other risky behaviors like consuming alcohol and using illegal drugs, so it’s important to have this difficult conversation sooner rather than later. Below are a few tips on how to address this sensitive topic.

Understand what gambling is. Knowing that gambling is any act that involves (1) risking money or valuables (2) on the outcome of a game or contest (3) that is mostly determined by chance, can help you recognize if the games your child is playing might be blurring the lines between gaming and gambling.

Know the facts about video games and gambling. Young people spend hours playing games on computers, phones, and gaming devices. Many of these games include coins, gems, loot boxes, and skins that can replicate real-life gambling situations. 

Encourage healthy habits. To help keep their gaming responsible it’s important to remind the child in your life to have other hobbies outside of gaming and to limit the amount of time they spend playing. This is not just limited to video games and apps. Games like fantasy sports, internet challenges, and card games should also be monitored.

Change the Game Ohio offers a wide range of tools and resources, including discussion guides that can equip parents, caregivers and educators on how to talk to a child about responsible gaming and the potential risks of gambling. To access these resources and more visit ChangeTheGameOhio.org