Facebook and social casinos target people showing signs of gambling addiction
Vložit
- čas přidán 6. 09. 2024
- Facebook recently received a $5 billion fine from the Federal Trade Commission for mishandling users’ personal information. But how does Facebook’s handling of personal information affect its users?
In this partnership with PBS NewsHour, Reveal examines how Facebook is partnering with social casino games to monitor and analyze the behavior of vulnerable players. The companies are using big data and advanced software to predict which people will spend massive amounts of money on the games and then targeting these people with aggressive marketing.
For some people, these games result in financial ruin. Suzie Kelly, a grandmother from suburban Dallas, ultimately spent $400,000 playing a virtual slot machine game on the Big Fish Casino app on her iPhone. She took out two home equity loans, spent her family inheritance and borrowed money from her husband’s 401(k), all to pay off credit card debt from the game.
And the kicker? She can’t win any money in the game. It’s not traditional gambling. Players can never cash out their virtual chips for real money. They’re paying only to buy more chips, which allows them to spend extra time in the game.
“So this is, in some ways, pure addiction,” says Keith Whyte, executive director of the National Council on Problem Gambling.
Social casino games, such as slot machines and poker games on Facebook and mobile devices, have become a $5 billion-a-year business, with revenues nearly as large as all the Las Vegas Strip casinos combined. But because the games are classified as entertainment, they are not subject to any gambling regulations. So there is nothing stopping tech companies from monitoring, analyzing - and targeting - those with addictive personalities.
CREDITS:
Reporter/Producer
Nathan Halverson
Senior Producer
Richard Coolidge
Senior Producer/Editor
David Ritsher
Videographer
Zach Stauffer
Tom Kaufman
Rachel de Leon
Legal Counsel
Victoria Baranetsky
Sound
Jim Briggs
Production Assistant/Assistant Camera
Deirdre Bardolf
Angie Padejski
Executive Producers
Amanda Pike
Sara Just
Editor in Chief
Matt Thompson
If big fish made more than all of Vegas strip, she’s obviously not the only one..in fact, my friend just tried to commit suicide over this exact same situation, please send us info on how to join the lawsuit. Ty🙏🏼
Susie Kelly my heart goes out to you🙏🏼 please keep us posted. This is a real & very serious issue people.
This has a criminally low amount of views. This is a widespread problem and needs more awareness.
During the casino shutdowns during the coronavirus pandemic, this is even more relevant for the addicts. If a game is free, I never ever pay for anything. At least in a real casino you have a chance to win real money. With social gambling, all pay for the players and all win for the games.
Why would you gamble REAL money for virtual chips? Wtf???
For people with problems it ain’t about winning money it’s about continuing to play they will entice you with 99p special and you think well I just pay 99p no hard keep playing for half hour next half hour you but some chips for £1.99 and so on and so on at end of night you spent £10 or so on chips in one week you spent 70 pounds in a month you spent £280 you start spending more each month before you know it your spending thousands
Jean-Luc Da Juice Man I know right!
They’re are disguise as a harmless game that why. They’re are not.
@@crazyfruits9188 My point is for that you might as well go to a real casino where if you win they pay you in cash money. Makes sense to me...
you’ll never fully understand it unless you are a chronic gambler, it’s not abput the money it’s like being hypnotized, it’s a psychological problem
I was an addict upto three year ago. Even during my betting/gambling times I wouldn't play anything that is just for "fun". I played to win money. Glad I'm gambling free for three years and wouldn't put a penny towards gambling.
No sports, no FOBTs, no nothing.
The only thing now frusteates me are gambling ads on my Facebook news feed. There is no way I can stop them.
Watching that creepy Facebook guy at 8:00 made my skin crawl. His fake smiles were so creepy. These are the kinds of people our "modern" society is rewarding nowadays. Gross.
Never trust anyone if you are greedy
Girl Please..Accept responsibility
They need to bugger off with these ads or allow people to block the ads.
I put myself in deft, not paying my bills, or sometimes went without food. I contacted Big Fish many times telling them all of this, that I'm on a fixed income. I told them I was addicted and like that lady they made me a vip. Instead of banning me, they would send me extra chips. And now my Facebook is constantly flooded with casino game ads. Oh and Jackpot Magic Slots requires you now to say ok to not holding them responsible in order to play.
uninstall and put the ipad in a safe or in someone you trust until you're ok
THE COMPANIES THE PROGRAMMERS COMPUTOR STAFF ARE IN CAHOOTS WITH SPONSORS AND CASINOS
If you're an app developer and you need an American shell company / paperwork filed, let's get this money.
You are so greedy that you rarely get anything
This is an unfortunate situation, but aside from not deleting her account when she asked, nothing the company did is in any way illegal or should be illegal.
Are the companies actions borderline unethical? Probably, but government regulation is not the answer for this issue.
FB could have deleted or banned her like real online casinos do - but like all these tech companies they run fast and loose... and yes of course regulation IS the answer, the real money gambling industry is highly regulated, this seems even worse than that, mostly because it's unregulated. For example, you CAN'T force wins early on in a real gambling session (it's against regs) but you can do that in a social gambling session (there are no regs prohibiting this). Ever notice you always trigger a bonus the first time you play a social slot??? That's on purpose and totally illegal in the regulated world.. either the industry needs to regulate itself (good luck) or the states have to step in like they do in real money gambling...
Even if they control the outcomes and individual users? You don't think regulation might impact this? If you are critical of them they will make it so you lose more and more.
Donde estas tapatio 😂
lmao, this people here saying they got ripped off, nobody forced them to buy the chips, hahaha, this entitled Americans...
It's a little bit hard to feel sorry for Susie Kelly .
Four Hundred Thousand Dollars... lady, if you have that much to lose - living in the house you live in - you're still fine.
She had the money to do it. Then lost it. Bet she cant play now if shes broke
Seriously??? Try to pay attention if u are going to comment and/or have an opinion - They don't "have the money to do it" people with true gambling addictions use or end up using money that needs to be used for their true needs for ex. their rent money, their prescription med money, their grocery money, means of living money. Then most will go on to lying & scheming ways to get even more money to use. This was made clear in this video that u commented on so either you did not really watch whole video or you are extremely uneducated to understand basic English Language or most likely you are like more & more people these days you think its ok to casually comment & speak having an opinion on everything without first actually knowing or learning about the facts of it. Its ridiculous out of control & is not okay. I can respect someone else having a different even opposite opinion of me but only if they are intelligent enough to get the facts to form one. I cannot understand how people think its ok to judge everyone & everything else. Unfortunately Addictions do not make sense nor are understandable even to people who have suffered thru one but they are very real & horrible
Debz foad WOW you take that shit from her ? Damn son She just stuffed you bruh lmao !!!