As Facebook considers the possibility of entering the real money gambling market concerns have been raised by a variety of parties. As the social network has more than 3 million users aged between 13 and 17 and a further million under the age of 13 pretending to be older there are real dangers of introducing those under the age of 18 to gambling it is being claimed.

The Daily Mail interviewed Dr Robert Lefever, who is the founding director of the Promis Recovery Centre which treats addicts. He suggested that: “Introducing gambling to Facebook is a cynical way for the gambling industry to find new markets, making gambling look acceptable.

"There will be young people who think these games have Facebook approval, that you can gamble and its fun. It's not gambling destroys families."

Facebook has been investigating the possibilities and hosted a dinner in London last week for a group of industry people to discuss its ideas.

A Christian Action Research Education (CARE) spokesperson added: “Because there is a link between the age when people start gambling and the likelihood of developing a difficulty controlling their gambling, protecting children from the normalisation of gambling is vital."

Professor Mark Griffiths from Nottingham Trent University told the Daily Mail: "Even when no money changes hands, young children are learning the mechanics of gambling. These games can be a gateway to more serious gambling."

Facebook have added: "We are always in discussions with companies about lots of different ideas, but we don't comment on future plans or speculation."