Danish gambling regulator raises concerns over underage gambling 

A study by Spillemyndigheden suggests that 15 per cent of those aged 15 to 17 have gambled.

Denmark.- The Danish gambling regulator Spillemyndigheden has reported on the results of a study into underage gambling. It found that 15 per cent of people aged between 15 and 17 have gambled despite the legal age being 18. That would represent around 32,000 people. 

The regulator’s research said that of those that said they had gambled, 68 per cent did so by placing a bet of some kind. In 42 per cent of cases, the respondents said they played online casino, compared to 21 per cent lottery and scratchcards and 4 per cent other activities.

The study found that 35 per cent of young people played on websites offering skin betting despite the fact that there are no sites licensed to offer this in Denmark. 

Spillemyndigheden also reported that it had seen an increase in calls from under 18s to its gambling helpline, StopSpillet. It said 4 per cent of calls came from minors. It also found that 88 per cent of calls claim to have placed their first bet before reaching the age of 18.

The report also studied the prevalence of gambling in other age groups. The age group that gambled the most was the 40 to 49 group, in which 30 per cent said they had gambled. That compares to 26 per cent for 18–24, 27 per cent for 50–59, 24 per cent for 30-39, 22 per cent for 25-29, 19 per cent for 60-69 and 10 per cent for the over 70s. The figures come from a questionnaire sent to a random selection of players aged over 15. 

Last month, Denmark’s gambling self-exclusion system ROFUS was extended to apply to retail betting as well as land-based casinos and online gambling. The expansion of the initiative was made possible by the introduction of new rules that require the use of ID cards for retail betting. People already registered on the system must re-register to be covered by the expanded exclusion.

ROFUS previously blocked people from online gambling and from entering land-based casinos, but no ID checks were required to make bets at retail betting shops. The government left it up to licensed operators to decide how their cards will be presented, be it in the form of a physical card or a virtual card accessible in operators’ mobile apps, but all IDs must be linked to the gambling account through which winnings are paid.

Changes in slots fees proposed to pay for new powers for Danish gambling regulator

The Ministry of Taxation has proposed amendments to Denmark’s Gambling Act that would give more powers to the national gambling regulator, Spillemyndigheden. It proposes that the regulator be allowed to secure “necessary information” and to “confidentially exchange information” to tackle matchfixing.

The ministry also suggests that the regulator should have more power to issue sanctions, including injunctions. In the case of gambling operators, it would be able to revoke licences if operators are found to breach sports integrity rules. It would also have more power to process and analyse gambling data, which would involve the use of a unique player ID for the monitoring of match-fixing and money laundering risks.

The Ministry of Taxation says the cost of the new powers could be funded by changes to fees for slot machines under which licensees would be charged based on taxable gambling income rather than per machine. It also suggests the introduction of a new licence for B2B suppliers.