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From GTA to Red Dead: Gambling in well-known video games

If you think that gambling in video games is just a fringe phenomenon, then you are wrong. In fact, there are many games in which you can play poker, blackjack or roulette.

This applies to both smaller video games and world-famous titles. Since GTA VI, one of the most long-awaited games of our time, will be released on November 19, 2026, the topic is more relevant than ever before.

We looked at which video games you can actually take part in gambling in. You will see: It is not just a game developer or a genre in which gambling games are offered. You can take part in games of chance across different games, genres and age groups.

GTA Online: A realistic casino in Los Santos

In the game GTA Online you can play Blackjack, Roulette, Three Card Poker and slot machines at DiaMond Casino & Resort. The establishment looks like a real casino and is very detailed. There are croupiers at the tables, you have to exchange money for chips and there are maximum betting limits.

There is also the virtual horse race Inside Track in GTA Online, on the outcome of which you can place bets. This is also extremely realistic. The casino also has the Lucky Wheel.

You can get an impression of the casino here:

Red Dead Redemption 2: Poker & Blackjack in the Saloon

In Red Dead Redemption 2 you can play poker (No-Limit Texas Hold'em) and blackjack. The real rules apply, which you also have to adhere to in the game.

However, the game is not played in a casino, but mostly in saloons. A croupier sits at the table and leads the game. This is also pretty realistic.

Check out what Blackjack looks like in RDR 2 here:

Fallout: New Vegas: Gambling as part of the cityscape

In Fallout: New Vegas there are various casinos that offer blackjack, roulette and slot machines. What is particularly realistic is that there are different limits, winning limits and minimum stakes.

However, if you win too much in a casino, you will be thrown out. Every casino has a winnings cap. If you exceed this limit, you will be permanently banned from gambling there. It is not known why Bethesda incorporated this mechanic. However, it is conceivable that this is intended to prevent money farming.

Get an impression of the casinos in Fallout: New Vegas here:

Yakuza: Like a Dragon

In Yakuza: Like a Dragon, Japanese games of chance are offered alongside classic casino games such as blackjack and poker. These are Koi-Koi and Oicho-Kabu. In other parts of the series you can also play roulette.

The game is played in realistic casinos. If you have never played before, the rules will be explained to you. The entire experience seems realistic and is very reminiscent of a visit to a casino.

Check it out for yourself:

Pokémon Red/Blue

Yes, you read that right – there is also gambling in Pokémon Red/Blue. There is a Game Corner in Prismania City where you can play slot machines. When you enter the corner, you will see various other people sitting at the machines.

If you talk to them, they will describe their experiences to you. For example, one person says that he had a lucky streak today. Another character describes that playing the slot machines is fun.

As soon as you have organized a coin basket, you can play on the machines. Depending on which symbols appear, you will receive different payouts. There are also arcades with slots in other Pokémon editions such as Fire Red/Leaf Green, Gold/Silver/Crystal and Diamond/Pearl.

You can get an impression of the arcade in Pokémon Blue in this video. It can be seen from minute 15:40:

This is how gambling works in video games

Which types of gambling are offered and in what form differs in the individual games. Whether you play with the in-game currency or have to buy chips, where you play and how important the games are vary from title to title.

Therefore, let's take a look at how gambling works in the five video games we have selected:

What all games have in common is that gambling is played according to real rules. So no well-known games are modified or adapted to the game. If you know the rules of Blackjack in Red Dead Redemption 2, then you also know the rules of Blackjack in a real casino. Merely the probabilities of winning can differ from real gambling.

These differences exist

Although our five games offer similar gameplay styles and follow real rules, there are differences. Not all gambling in video games works the same.

We took a closer look. We noticed the following differences:

• Location: In some titles, the games of chance are offered in realistic casinos. Especially in GTA Online and Fallout: New Vegas, the establishments are very reminiscent of real casinos. But that's not always the case, because in RDR 2 you mostly play in the saloon, whereas in Pokémon it's a separate arcade.
• Currency: How you pay for gambling also varies. In some games you exchange the in-game currency for chips in the casino. This is e.g. B. The case with GTA Online and Fallout: New Vegas. In RDR2 you simply play with the in-game currency. In Pokémon Red/Blue you exchange Pokédollars for coins, which you can then use to play on the machines.
• Meaning: In most games, participation in gambling is optional. In Pokémon, GTA Online, Fallout: New Vegas and Yakuza: Like a Dragon, gambling is not relevant to the main story. However, things are different when it comes to challenges and trophies. There are ten Gambler Challenges in Red Dead Redemption 2. If you don't complete these, you won't be able to get the game to 100% and you won't get all the trophies. That's why gambling is more important.
• Access: In most video games, access to casinos only becomes possible as the story progresses. You first have to unlock certain locations to reach the casinos. In Pokémon Red/Blue you also need a coin basket, which you get from a man in a restaurant.
• Reward: As a rule, you receive money in the in-game currency or game chips for your winnings in the virtual casino, which you can then exchange for rewards. In Pokémon Red/Blue you can use them, for example. B. Exchange for a Dratini, Porygon or Sichlor. The chips can be used to exchange weapons, equipment and other collectibles in Yakuza: Like a Dragon. RDR 2 has a special role: Among other things, you have to complete all Gambler Challenges in order to unlock the Legend of the East outfit.
• Special feature: There are some special features related to gambling in our five games. In Fallout you can use the “Luck” character trait to manipulate your probability of winning. In Pokémon Red/Blue you don't just get money, but access to rare Pokémon and TMs. There are various Gambler Challenges in Red Dead.

What is particularly interesting to us is the importance of gambling. If they are purely optional and have no impact on completing the game, it is entirely up to you whether you choose to participate in the games. But if it's not just an optional mini-game, but has a greater meaning (like in Red Dead Redemption 2), then things look different.

When does a mini-game actually become gambling from a legal perspective?

While most players participate in video game gambling to get extra items, they probably don't even think about the legal implications. Video games are not a legal vacuum, so of course laws and regulations also apply to them. However, there is a small but subtle difference.

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Virtual blackjack is not necessarily gambling

If you play blackjack, roulette or poker in a video game, it doesn't necessarily have to be classic gambling. Case law makes a distinction between gambling and simulated gambling.

After § 3 State Treaty on Gambling Gambling occurs when a fee is charged for the chance of winning and the winnings depend entirely or predominantly on chance.

For example, if there is no wager or a monetary win, a game may imitate real gambling but can legally be classified as simulated gambling.

This can be most easily explained in four points:

• Bet & Loss: In the real casino you put your own money at risk. If you lose, the money is gone. The functionality is similar in video games. As a rule, you don't use real money there, but rather the in-game currency or use it to buy chips, coins or something similar.
• Real assets: A very important difference is whether you receive real assets from the winnings. Normally you win game chips in your video game and can then use them to purchase virtual items within the game. You usually don't have the opportunity to exchange the winnings for real money. Then we talk more about simulated gambling.
• Chance: When it comes to chance, real and virtual gambling are very similar. Chance can also decide in virtual blackjack or roulette. The rules are the same in the examples we selected - of course we can't say anything about the mechanisms in the background. Nevertheless, the game mechanism does not seem to have a significant influence on whether gambling is real or virtual.
• Circular cycle: In our five video games, gambling remains in a closed cycle. You use the game currency as a bet and win or lose with it. Then you will receive a virtual reward. In real gambling, however, you bet real money and also receive real winnings or losses.

From a legal perspective, it doesn't seem to make any difference where virtual gambling is offered. Whether you play in a virtual casino, in a saloon or somewhere else entirely. Even realistic rules do not automatically mean that there is gambling from a legal perspective. The topic is therefore significantly more complex.

Youth protection still keeps an eye on the gambling issue

When you buy a video game, it usually comes with a USK badge. USK stands for entertainment software self-control. She checks the age rating of video games.

At first glance, we come across a contradiction here: gambling is only permitted in Canada from the age of 18. Nevertheless, it appears in video games, some of which are played by children and young people.

The USK states on its website that the gambling issue is a point that is included in the evaluation. According to the USK, this criterion already included in the rating in November 2020.

© Wikipedia

Various reasons are given for this. The USK fears, among other things, that gambling-like mechanics will find their way into the everyday media lives of children and young people through the games.

In doing so, she draws attention to an important point: Just because simulated gambling can be separated from real gambling from a legal perspective, this separation does not apply to the protection of minors. Children and young people also need to be protected from simulated gambling.

And what about the games in this article? Here you can find the USK approval for our five games:

• GTA Online: USK from 18
• Red Dead Redemption 2: USK from 18
• Fallout: New Vegas: USK from 18
• Yakuza: Like a Dragon: USK from 18
• Pokémon Red/Blue: USK from 0

However, it should be said that the classification USK 18 and over was most likely due to the depictions of violence in the games and not because of the gambling theme.

Pokémon, on the other hand, has a USK rating of 0 and above and therefore appears to be safe for children on paper. The game received this rating in 2003. However, the gambling issue was only explicitly included in the USK's guiding criteria in 2020. How the content would be evaluated today cannot be derived from this.

Current figures: What research says on the subject

A new review on the topic was published on August 28, 2026. This is the publication Simulated Gambling Games: an Integrative Review of Links with Monetary Gambling and Harmful Gambling in Adolescents and Adults. The authors have systematically compiled, compared and evaluated existing studies.

At the outset it is explained that simulated gambling has audiovisual and structural characteristics of real money gambling, but is subject to a completely different regulation. The researchers wanted to investigate the effects of simulated gambling - with a particular focus on young people.

An Australian study found that 40% of young people between the ages of 12 and 17 have consumed simulated gambling games. According to another study, in Canada it was 50% and in Denmark even 66%. This shows how relevant this topic is.

We summarize the core statements of the current review for you:

• Simulated gambling and real money gambling are often linked: all cross-sectional studies evaluated came to the same conclusion. Young people and adults who have previously come into contact with simulated gambling often later play for real money. They are even more likely to exhibit problematic gambling behavior. This in no way shows a causeigt, but an overlap can clearly be seen.
• There is evidence of a stimulus effect: the researchers looked at three explanations. 1. Simulated gambling could encourage future real money gambling (stimulus). 2. People who like risk are simply interested in both (selection). 3. Simulated gambling could replace real gambling (suppression). The numbers so far suggest that there is a stimulus effect.
• Researchers conduct 24-week experiment: An Australian research team conducted a 24-week experiment. 556 young adults were asked to play a simulated slot machines for at least five minutes per week. The result was clear: the more often people played the simulated slot machine, the higher their spending on real slot machines was in the following week. The participants were people who had previous experience with real slot machines. So no new players were recruited. Expenses have increased for experienced players.
• Researchers find a plausible mechanism: The authors argue that simulated gambling replicates the characteristics of real gambling (remember our analysis above). This allows it to become familiar and normalized. There may even be some kind of behavioral training. Inflated odds, attractive bonuses and progression systems can also create unrealistic expectations.
• The causal relationships are still not clear: The review clearly does not say that games like GTA or RDR 2 turn players into gamblers. The causal relationships have not been conclusively clarified. Factors such as individual willingness to take risks, impulsivity or existing gambling problems could also be relevant.

The authors of the review state that the data situation is sometimes difficult. Much research focuses on social casino games or simulated slot machines. They expressly call for further research into simulated poker, blackjack and roulette.

Study from Canada provides interesting findings

A study from Canada is also relevant in this context. It was published in 2020 under the title “ Simulated gambling consumption mediation model (SGCMM): disentanGLIng convergence with parallel mediation models “

That speaks against a clear “yes”

• Research has not yet been able to identify simulated gambling as a clear cause.
• People with an interest in gambling could simply use both forms more often.
• In the video games we examined, gambling is presented in very different ways. A realistic casino in GTA is different than the arcade in Pokémon.
• To date, there is no evidence that video games involving gambling causally cause subsequent initiation into gambling with real money.
• In fact, virtual gambling might even seem off-putting to some players.

Our verdict

Based on current research, video games involving gambling cannot simply be dismissed as harmless mini-games. Dr. Hayer explained to us that previous studies suggest a door-opening effect: people with experience in simulated gambling are more likely to start playing real money gambling later.

The studies on the topic provide enough evidence that this influence can be relevant - but how strong it actually is probably depends on the specific implementation in the game and the respective player.

But that doesn't automatically mean that games like GTA or RDR2 are responsible for players later playing with real money. The mechanisms that trigger the transition from virtual to real gambling have not yet been sufficiently clarified.

The more exciting question is therefore not whether gambling occurs in video games, but when a harmless mini-game becomes an experience that makes real gambling seem surprisingly familiar.

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