The wonders of youth. You feel invincible and you just want to have a good time.
That’s exactly what a 12-year-old girl from Sydney was after when she headed to The Star Sydney to hit up the pokies.
The girl managed to sneak into the casino through the fire exit and played around 24 spins on a slot machine before she was escorted out of the building.
Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way
The state regulator, Liquor & Gaming New South Wales, has since issued The Star Sydney with a fine worth $64,500 for the offence, with the girl allegedly receiving a stern talking to.
On CCTV, the girl was let in through a fire exit which her parents opened for her. She then sat next to her parents and played slots for around 17 minutes.
Unfortunately, it’s not the first time The Star Sydney has slipped up.
In July a 17-year-old boy managed to gain access to the casino where he played 42 rounds of roulette and 22 hands of poker before he was escorted out of the building – no doubt with his winnings confiscated.
Finally, a 16-year-old girl managed to enter through the VIP section with an older member and buy alcohol. It wasn’t until a bouncer at the night club realized her ID wasn’t legit that she was escorted out of the building.
Between the three incidents, the casino racked up a total fine worth $53,750, with the previous highest in the territory being $5,000.
KYC is In Place to Prevent Kids From Gambling Online
Obviously gambling amongst kids isn’t a good thing at all, with gambling before the age 18 proven to create a predisposition to gambling addiction.
However, with the age of the internet and some blockchain-based Bitcoin casinos not really asking for any KYC before the withdrawal process, there is potential for kids to gamble.
This poses a huge onus on parents and educators to teach kids the dangers and risks imposed with gambling in order to prevent problems from occurring.
While I’m sure we all enjoyed a few spins on the slots down at the local pub or bar as a kid, sneaking into a casino to play is a whole different kettle of fish.
Stick to the Rules
If you’re going to play at online casinos, or allow your kids to have a few rounds here and there on your account, do it responsibly.
Make sure to educate and explains the dangers, pitfalls and risks associated with it, and that any money gambled with should be money that can be lived without.
In the ideal world, minors shouldn’t be using slots, but we’re not here to tell you how to parent, you know what’s best.
Just whatever the decision is, make sure it’s safe and abides by casino rules. After all, you wouldn’t want a casino to shut your account down because a minor is playing on it, would you?
Stay safe out there. And kids. Don’t sneak into casinos!
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