Dave & Buster's, the restaurant and arcade chain, will allow customers to bet on arcade games, according to an announcement Tuesday.
Customers will be able to wager real money digitally at the arcade, which will play games such as Skee-Ball, billiards and basketball shootouts.
Technology company Lucra has partnered with Dave & Buster's to provide digital betting services.
Michael Madding, Lukla's chief operating officer, said in an interview Wednesday that the company's products will be used for “skill-based” games at Dave & Busters. He said that includes “recreational activities whose results are largely or entirely dependent on knowledge.” It depends on the participant's ability, strength, speed, endurance, and intelligence, and is subject to participant control. ”
Dave & Buster's did not respond to requests for comment regarding which specific games customers will be able to bet on or when the company will roll out betting products available to people registered with Dave & Buster's. was not clear. Buster Loyalty Program.
Madding said Lukla's products are available to people 18 and older, and the company allows partners and consumers to set limits “based on their needs and preferences.” “Our typical average contest size for Lucra's technology is about $5 to $10,” he said.
On social media, people poked fun at the announcement, joking about whether customers would be likely to bet on games like Skee-Ball, for example. Age regulations vary by Dave & Buster location, but people under the age of 18 are generally admitted with a parent or guardian.
Mark Edelman, a law professor and director of sports ethics at Baruch College in New York, said there is a carve-out in gambling law that allows people engaged in physical competition to compete for prize money in that sport. . For example, professional golfers and tennis players can pay an entry fee to compete and win prizes.
“If two people are competing against each other in Skee-Ball, there is no problem assuming that nothing special happens in the game of Skee-Ball and that physical skill actually determines the winner,” Professor Edelman said.
The problem is with people who are betting on other people's games. “If I am betting on whether someone else will win a game of Skee-Ball, or whether someone else will achieve a certain score in Skee-Ball, I am not participating in a physical competition myself. If you do that, you're going to see a very high probability. It's the same as gambling,” Professor Edelman said.
There are 164 Dave & Buster locations in North America, but it was unclear how many of them would allow betting.
Dr. Leah Nower, director of the Center for Gambling Research at Rutgers University, said she is concerned that children who attend Dave & Buster's will be exposed to people placing bets, which could lead to gambling addiction.
“The more young people start doing these things, and the more types of things they do, the more likely they are to run into problems in the future,” Dr. Nawar says. “And by allowing this to happen more and more, we are burdening our younger generations with problems that we have not put safeguards in place to deal with.”
