Sellers are offering paid chances of winning prizes on live-streams, for items such as the Labubu doll.
A spin-the-wheel game and a simulated virtual duck race game on TikTok Live. Players pay for a slot to join the games in hopes of winning a prize shown by the seller.
Demand for the Labubu toy surged after Lisa from top K-pop group Blackpink posted several pictures of herself holding the doll on Instagram in April. “This unpredictability can make gambling highly addictive because the player is constantly motivated by the possibility of a win, even after multiple losses.”
“We have permanently banned the accounts for violating our ‘promotion of gambling’ guidelines, and have taken action against similar violative accounts. We use a combination of technology, human moderation and community reports to identify, review and take action against content or accounts that violate our community guidelines,” the spokesperson said.Checks by ST on Aug 28 on several TikTok accounts that had offered these games on Aug 27 showed that they had been banned.
While the games might seem like harmless fun, they could have serious implications for young users, said Dr Lee. Other games conducted by sellers include guessing a number out of 100, winning the doll if they guess the correct number. Unlicensed online gambling is prohibited under the Gambling Control Act, said SMU Yong Pung How School of Law Associate Professor Jerrold Soh.
“Such games of chance may have contravened provisions under the Gambling Control Act 2022. Police investigations are ongoing,” a police spokesman said.
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