Gambling in schools as an educational project

According to German legislation, gambling is not normally allowed to be made accessible to children and young people. However, before the school holidays, a grammar school in Essen ensured that Year 9 pupils were able to engage intensively with such online offers. The reason for this was (of course) an educational project.

In fact, children and young people are increasingly confronted with gambling or gambling-like elements on the internet. Young users often do not even realise that they are being influenced by such offers.

Such factors can be found, for example, in supposedly harmless online games or apps where so-called loot boxes or in-game purchases mimic the mechanics of classic games of chance. Seemingly harmless competitions on social media or adverts on websites with a gamification character also contribute to young people being introduced to gambling at an early age.

As the increasing presence of gambling or gambling-related content promotes a certain degree of normalisation, educating young people about the risks and dangers involved is becoming increasingly important. An innovative project in schools called "SMART CAMPS - Create & play responsibly" addresses precisely this issue: Through targeted educational measures, pupils should learn to recognise and understand the influences described in order to be able to deal responsibly with such offers.

SMART CAMPS - Create & play responsibly at a grammar school in Essen

The "SMART CAMPS - Create & play responsibly" project has been running for several years now. As early as 2019, pupils were supported in their media skills with regard to advancing digitalisation and the many risks associated with it. The digital education initiative BG3000, WestLotto and TÜV Rheinland are in charge of the concept.

The initiative is currently gaining particular momentum and relevance. The discussion about loot boxes and their regulation is not really coming to an end and, in general, there are more and more gambling elements on the Internet that are difficult to identify as such, such as those used by Temu in inconspicuous adverts. In addition, adverts for (illegal) gambling offers are almost omnipresent on streamers, social media and other channels used by young people.

An earlier press release from SMART CAMPS states the following:

Just like normal gaming, gambling is increasingly shifting to the digital world. Those who do not take this into account will lose out. Even young people today are confronted with a multitude of gambling offers on the internet. Many of these seem harmless, but are often more than just a 'pocket money trap'! With the SMART CAMPS, we are breaking new ground in prevention, because bans are of little use. We focus on education, information and media skills."

The "new paths" are primarily in the form of direct contact with corresponding risk elements. In specific workshops, participants are introduced to typical games of chance and subtle mediation and advertising strategies. These seminars replace "three days of regular lessons for an entire year at secondary schools". Specially trained instructors and media educators are involved, as well as Youtubers and other people from the field.

A look at the course schedule shows that it's not just about games of chance: the Essen secondary school offered programmes on "Can gaming be stressful? - Stress and addiction in virtual worlds", "Phishing for my data - hacking and scam", "Hate speech & cyberbullying", "Gamification: Game on! - Opportunities of a new cultural technique", "Discovering Instagram", "Top of the Pods" and "Mobile Journalism" on the timetable.

Conclusion

Image source: Screenshot von https://www.smart-camps.de/