Denmark’s Gambling Regulators Shifting Focus Onto Skin Betting

After blocking illegal sites in the country, the Danish regulators have finally started looking at skin betting. The authorities are cracking down on skin betting websites which allow gambling with virtual goods.

A Copenhagen court approved a request by the government last month which made telecom companies block access to 25 unlicensed online gambling sites. Fifteen of these websites offered skin betting while the rest provided casino gaming or sports betting. Gambling abuse experts define skin betting as coverings found on internet games or videos. These betting channels open as video games but turn into gambling later.

Denmark as been undergoing many regulatory changes over the years. keeping tight regulatory control over its forex trading, online gambling and casino spheres. it’s forex market history is one of the most regulated in Europe.

Dr. James P. Whelan, professor, and co-director of the Institute for Gambling Education and Research at the University of Memphis explained that the skin could look like a weapon, an armor or even a background. The covers can either be simple or flashy, making players wager something valuable in order to win a covering. He noted, “It is simply gambling while gaming.”

Elaborating on this topic further, Dr. Jeffrey L. Derevensky, the director of the International Centre for Youth Gambling Problems and High-risk Behaviours at McGill University Canada said that these skins do not influence the gameplay directly and can even work as a virtual currency. Some skins become highly sought-after because they are difficult to get. This also raises its value. These high-value items can be bought and sold and can be converted into real money.

According to a statement released this week, Birgitte Sand, the director of Danish Gambling Authority, the regulators fear that these sites are targeted at underage (less than 18 years of age) players. In February 2018, the regulator moved to court to ban six skin websites and adopted a more precise method to discover such sites. Sand noted that skin betting sites circumvent regulations, making the regulator’s work more complicated. However, they are now using WebCrawler to search for these sites.

Sand further noted that blocking illegal sites will protect both the players and licensed operators. The authority shut down four Facebook groups providing illegal gambling services. It suggests that the number of illegal gambling websites targeting Danish players has reduced. However, it also admits that there are ongoing challenges with these websites and skin betting on Facebook. Interestingly, almost all websites providing illegal skin betting allow users to login via Steam.