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A newly launched Facebook app will allow UK users to gamble with real money rather than imaginary credits. Facebook won’t say if it is taking a cut of the profits.
Bingo & Slots Friendzy is only available to players who are aged at least 18 and a credit card is needed to play. In effect the games are no different to those available on other British websites.
The main practical difference is that the app will post details of users playing the game or winning a prize on their timelines. This feature has been set up so that any posts relating to the gambling will not be viewable by people aged under 18. (Well, except for those who’ve lied about their age at some point in the past in order to get on Facebook in the first place.)
With no dispute that the operation is perfectly legal in the UK (albeit subject to regulation), launching the app but restricting it to British users should be an effective way to test whether the concept works on Facebook.
If it’s a hit, there’ll clearly be temptation to spread it to larger markets such as the US, a move that’s already under consideration by Farmville developer Zynga. The problem is that online gambling within the US itself is illegal and it’s still unclear exactly whether and how it’s possible to legally run a gambling site from outside US shores but allow American players.
Running via Facebook would add an extra layer of complication. At the moment Facebook is pointing out that it is simply offering a platform for the cash bingo game and has nothing to do with its operation. However, even if app developers found a legal workaround offering US gamblers gaming from offshore, Facebook might get cold feet about having any association with it, particularly now it is a publicly traded company.
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