Paf strengthens mandatory loss limits for younger players

Åland government-owned gaming operator has tightened its restrictions further.

Finland.- Ålands Penningautomatförening (Paf) has cut its mandatory loss limits for customers aged 18 to 24 years from €20,000 to €10,000. The operator, which has a presence in Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Spain and Sweden, is known for its strict stance on responsibility.

Paf responsible gaming manager Jenna Ekström said: “We need to take stronger measures to minimise the risks for our young customers.”

She added: “The facts and research about gambling problems that we have seen point out that young people are a more vulnerable group. On the one hand, young people have a tendency to take more risks and on the other hand, they don’t have the same financial possibilities to play real-money games.”

Paf’s deputy CEO and chief responsibility officer Daniela Johansson said: “We are convinced that mandatory loss limits are among the most decisive and responsible actions a gaming company can take.

“A customer with gambling problems most likely does not have the same ability to control his gambling and set his own limits, which is why we need mandatory loss limits in the gambling industry.”

Owned by the Åland Islands regional government, much of the operator’s revenue helps fund the islands’ health, education, culture and sustainability projects.

Last year, it announced plans to create an education programme for coding and tech development. Its grit:lab scheme promised training to 50 students from 2022 under a government-backed programme that aims to answer a need for tech skills in the Nordic region.

The operator said the programme would be run from Paf’s head office on the Åland Islands and would include coding training on 01 Edu system. It will run on a self-learning basis with no teachers or classrooms, leaving students responsible for developing their skills.

In July, Paf suggested that Sweden should ban gambling advertising and hike taxes on the industry. The operator made the comments during a policy discussion that it held at the annual political forum, Almedalen Week in Visby, Gotland. The panel was entitled “The industry we love to hate”.