Table 1.

Age restrictions enforcement strategies.

Recommendation	Description
Use Age Verification	Compliance with age limits is poor (65). Age verification with personal identifications systems, by having users log on using a national identification number, can prevent underage gambling (14). Verifying age verbally and requesting identification in-person for land-based venues appear important. Simply asking the age of an individual is largely ineffective in enforcing underaged gambling. Compliance rates were the following for asking for: age only (0%); identification only (67%); age and identification (75%) (58).
Use Fines	Introduce fines for non-compliance may increase effectiveness. In the Netherlands, underaged individuals who gamble may be fined (19). Fines may also be introduced to vendors of gambling products.
Restrict visibility	Relaxation of gambling controls in the U.K. allowed retail outlets (e.g. newsagents, convenience stores, petrol stations, etc.) to have online terminals to sell lottery tickets including instant (scratch) lottery tickets. This gives vulnerable populations exposure and increased opportunity to participate in gambling (41).
Restrict convenient access	More access to gambling was noted in off-site locations such as gambling stores like the ones mentioned above (0% compliance rate) compared to on-site locations such as casinos (14% compliance rate) (58). Access to public gambling machines presents a potential threat for gambling disorder in minors as entry into casinos is limited to individuals 18 years or older in many jurisdictions (67).
Restrict availability	In theory, legal age limits should act to limit availability of gambling products. Enforcement of laws has been easier when limiting availability of slot machines within dedicated gambling areas (24, 68). However, setting limits may potentially increase gambling problems for some people; stakeholders should examine directly the consequences of placing limits if and when they do (69).
Use warning labels and messages	Warning labels are effective at modifying gambling behavior (70). Messages are informative to consumers, and if applied appropriately, they have the potential to reduce harm (70). In a laboratory setting with undergraduate students, those who received warning messages on common irrational gambling beliefs demonstrated significantly fewer irrational beliefs and less risky gambling behavior than those in the control condition who received messages on the history of roulette (71).