Roblox, the popular online game, is in the midst of a new class action lawsuit alleging that it is facilitating child gambling. The lawsuit was filed in San Mateo County, California, by the law firm Julian Young & Associates in April 2021. It claims that Roblox is engaging in illegal gambling activity and exposing minors to predatory gambling practices.
Roblox is a sandbox game where users can customize characters, buy and make items, explore game spaces, and interact with other players. The game also includes virtual currency called “Robux” that can be earned by players or purchased with real money. Players can use these Robux to purchase in-game items, such as virtual clothing, accessories, and weapons. This has resulted in a thriving secondary market for reselling these items.
The lawsuit states that Roblox is encouraging minors to participate in gambling activities such as “loot boxes”, which are digital packages that contain random digital rewards. Players can purchase loot boxes for real money or use virtual currency earned from playing the game. The lawsuit alleges that the loot boxes are a form of gambling, as players cannot predict what items will be in the loot boxes, and thus buying them is a gamble.
The lawsuit also claims that Roblox doesn’t do enough to prevent minors from engaging in gambling activities. It alleges that Roblox has an in-game currency exchange, which allows players to gamble with real money. The lawsuit claims that the game does not adequately enforce its age restrictions, which allow children as young as 13 to access these gambling activities.
Roblox has denied the allegations and said that it does offer several tools and features to protect players from inappropriate content or behavior. The company says that all players must be 13 years of age or older in order to access these game features. They also say that the game has a comprehensive moderation system and various measures for safely moderating and filtering user-generated content and the behaviors of other players.
Roblox has seen meteoric success in recent years, with over 164 million monthly active users as of December 2020. It’s unclear how this new lawsuit will affect the platform. It is possible that Roblox could face significant fines and penalties if found liable for the allegations. For now, all eyes are on the lawsuit and how it will affect the future of Roblox and its millions of users.
