Unlicensed gambling sites are taking advantage of Roblox to lure children into high-stakes betting. Efforts to shut down these sites have proven ineffective, with some teenagers losing huge sums of money. Today’s Pixel P&L includes this story, Kiddopia’s new partnership, chess’s inclusion in the 2025 eSports World Cup, and more industry updates.
Illegal online casinos are exploiting Roblox, a popular video game with 80 million daily users, to lure children under 12 to gambling. The platform allows users to gamble with Roblox’s in-game currency, Robux, on games like slots and blackjack, converting winnings into cryptocurrency or cash.
According to the report, unlicensed gambling sites such as Bloxflip, Bloxmoon, and RBLXWild have been linked to the platform, attracting millions of visitors and significant amounts of wagering. The UK Gambling Commission has blocked many of these sites and launched investigations.
The report highlights examples of teenagers losing large sums of money, with one minor reportedly gambling away $190,000 worth of Robux. The investigation found that Bloxmoon alone took $22.3 million in bets between April and October 2024 and retained $2.2 million in revenue.
Roblox said it does not own or condone gambling sites and is working with law enforcement to shut them down. Despite attempts to disrupt operations, some sites have resurfaced under new domains, including Bloxmoon and RBLXWild.
Paper Boat Apps, a subsidiary of Nazara Technologies and maker of Kiddopia, an app that offers learning games for kids, has signed a licensing agreement with Moonbug Entertainment. The deal allows Kiddopia to integrate the characters and stories from Moonbug’s animated series Little Angel into its platform.
The first Little Angel-themed game is scheduled to launch in 2025, blending storytelling with educational experiences. The collaboration includes joint marketing efforts aimed at social media and parenting networks.
Kiddopia, which specializes in creating interactive educational games for young children, will use the partnership to expand its offerings. The agreement comes as part of a broader strategy by Nazara to strengthen its portfolio. Recent moves include acquiring a 60% stake in Funky Monkeys Play Centers for $5.24 million and investing $500,000 in Google-backed AI-powered learning platform LearnTube.
Chess joins eSports World Cup 2025 in Riyadh
The eSports World Cup (EWC) Foundation has partnered with Chess.com to launch a $1.5 million tournament. This will include the top players qualifying through the Champions Chess Tour, with additional places available through the Last Chance Qualifier. Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen has become an ambassador for the game at EWC, and will promote the integration of chess into the e-sports world.
Niantic, McDonald’s partner to boost engagement in Pokémon GO
It will convert all 13,500 US restaurant locations into PokéStops and Gyms for Pokémon Go, with the goal of increasing both in-game and foot traffic. Scheduled raid weeks lasting four months will attract players to McDonald’s locations during peak times. Financial terms of the deal are undisclosed.
China’s former sports minister expelled amid corruption allegations
Gao Zhongwen, 67, the former head of China’s General Sports Administration and chairman of the Chinese Olympic Committee, was expelled from the Communist Party and dismissed from public office for corruption, abuse of power and dereliction of duty, officials said. Gou, who oversaw sports policy from 2016 to 2022, was not considered a supporter of esports, which faces regulatory challenges under the supervision of the National Press and Publications Administration.
Pigs have demonstrated the ability to play video games using their snouts! , four pigs – Hamlet, Omelette, Ebony and Ivory – used an arcade-style joystick to guide an on-screen cursor onto the walls.
Despite being farsighted and having no thumbs, the pigs learned the association between the joystick and the game, which the researchers called “remarkable.” Even when the food rewards stopped, the pigs kept playing, encouraged by the researchers’ kind words.
