A series of pitch side activities during a football game engaged young people in conversations about gambling, loot boxes, and how to reduce the risk of harm.

During ‘Money Month’ 2019, Safety Zone’s Pocket Money Survey revealed that some of their young people spent much of their money on loot boxes. In response, Safety Zone applied to the Youth Fund to facilitate a workshop alongside a football event for the youth group.

A series of pitch side activities were created which demonstrated the risks of gambling and potential harms. These activities supported participants to explore the topic of odds, and to better understand the risks of gambling and gambling-like features in gaming.

For example, the Battleship Activity helped to demonstrate how unlikely it was to win at 100-1 odds. In this game, one hundred cards were laid out with one having a picture of Lionel Messi, and the young people had to guess where the player was. This simulated the odds of getting a world class footballer when purchasing a loot box in FIFA.

The project is a great example of a simple, yet effective activity to engage with young people around gambling and the risks involved.