Danish Regulator Reports Year-one Figures of StopSpillet

Spillemyndigheden, the gambling authority in Denmark, has revealed that its problem gambling helpline received 722 calls during its first full year of operation.

Some 57% of people who called “StopSpillet” acknowledged that they had a gambling problem or had concerns about their behaviour. Relatives of people suffering from gambling problems were responsible for 39% of total calls, while the remaining 4% came from professionals. Men accounted for 87% of the calls made to StopSpillet.

“Compared to other types of addiction, compulsive gambling is not immediately visible and may be hidden for a long time to the outside world. This emphasises the need for a helpline such as StopSpillet, offering confidential conversations about a problem that can be associated with a lot of guilt and shame,” Linda Lomborg, StopSpillet’s head of division, said.

In terms of the type of gambling that consumers were concerned about, of the 690 people that passed on this information, 67% cited online gambling as their primary problem. In comparison, land-based gambling at casinos, betting kiosks and gaming machines were the main sources of concern for 33% of these callers.

Players who contacted StopSpillet were also asked about the age at which they first started gambling, and based on the responses of 326 consumers, some 47% were under 18. A further 37% were aged between 18 and 25 when they gambled for the first time.