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10-year-old Singaporean boy loses pocket money after Pokémon livestream turns into gambling

A Singapore father was left furious after discovering that his 10-year-old son had lost all his pocket money to what appeared to be a “Pokémon” livestream, only to realise it was actually a gambling operation in disguise.

The boy stumbled upon the livestream on TikTok, where game cards were used as betting tools in a setup that mimicked online gambling, raising serious concerns among netizens and parents alike.

Boy loses all his pocket money in Pokémon livestream

According to Shin Min Daily News, Mr Lee (surname transliterated), a 38-year-old salesperson, said his young son is a fan of Pokémon cartoons but doesn’t usually play the trading card game.

He and his wife had allowed the boy to use a mobile phone to watch TikTok videos, not suspecting that the content could lead to real-money losses.

Source: Shin Min Daily News

That changed one day late last month, when his wife suddenly received two to three bank notifications — each indicating transfers of S$20 to S$30 from their son’s account.

Alarmed, the couple checked his phone and discovered he had been watching a so-called “Pokémon” livestream.

Livestream allegedly just online gambling in disguise

Mr Lee later discovered that what appeared to be a fun card-based livestream was, in reality, a cleverly disguised gambling session.

The streamer was allegedly using vulgar language and encouraging viewers to place bets under the guise of “card duels”.

Their son admitted to finding the livestream by chance, getting sucked in, and eventually losing several dozen dollars in total.

Mr Lee said: “This unhealthy trend must not be allowed to grow. Online gambling disguised as games shouldn’t exist, as it has a serious impact on children.”

Rather than confiscating the boy’s phone, the couple opted to educate him about the dangers of gambling. They also set strict transfer limits on his account, allowing only small transfers each day.

Pokémon gambling livestreams reportedly common

After the incident, Mr Lee did further research and was stunned to find that similar livestreams were everywhere online.

Shin Min reporters also managed to find several Pokémon livestreams on TikTok, all promoting card “PK” (player versus player) battles.

Each stream would open multiple “rounds” with buy-in amounts ranging from tens to hundreds of dollars. Viewers could join by commenting and transferring money to the host via PayNow.

Source: Shin Min Daily News

The host would then open two Pokémon card packs, tally the points, and declare the higher total as the winner.

Winners would receive their payout minus a “commission” of 10% to 20% taken by the livestream host.

Livestream card gambling may constitute illegal gambling

Lawyer Wong Guo Yean from Invictus Law Corporation said in an interview that if a livestream allows players to take part in games of chance, it very likely constitutes illegal gambling.

Mr Wong said it’s illegal to run, promote, or profit from gambling without a licence in Singapore.

Those found guilty of such illegal gambling activities may face a fine of up to S$500,000 and up to seven years’ imprisonment.

Accomplices may face a fine of up to S$200,000 and up to five years’ imprisonment if convicted.

Also read: Over S$111K lost in Pokémon card scams in 3 weeks, SPF warns of scammers selling rare cards on Facebook & Carousell

Over S$111K lost in Pokémon card scams in 3 weeks, SPF warns of scammers selling rare cards on Facebook & Carousell

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