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A Singaporean father was outraged to discover that his 10-year-old son had squandered all his pocket money on what seemed like a Pokémon livestream, which turned out to be a hidden gambling operation
The child had been watching the livestream on TikTok, where Pokémon cards were used as betting tools in a setup designed to mimic online gambling. This incident has since sparked concern among both netizens and parents.
According to the father, his son is a fan of the show but has never played the trading card game
Known only as Lee, the 38-year-old salesman told Shin Min Daily that he and his wife had allowed their son to use a mobile phone to watch TikTok, unaware that the content on the platform could lead to real-world money losses.
The couple noticed something was amiss when they received notifications from their bank
Lee found that the notifications came from his son's bank account, showing transactions ranging from SGD20 (RM66) to SGD30 (RM99). The couple then checked the boy's phone and discovered he had been watching a 'Pokémon' livestream.
Lee later discovered that the livestream was actually a gambling game cleverly disguised as a harmless card game stream.
The streamer reportedly used vulgar language and encouraged viewers to place bets under the guise of 'card duels'
Lee's son admitted that he stumbled upon the livestream by chance, became engrossed, and ended up losing several dozen dollars.
"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," said Lee.
