Sweden: high-risk players gambling more

A new academic study suggests gambling in Sweden fell overall but that high-risk players were gambling more during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sweden.- A new study from Lund University suggests that the majority of gamblers in Sweden are gambling less during the Coronavirus pandemic, but that more than more than 25 per cent of high-risk customers had increased their play. 

The study of 2,016 people surveyed between April 28 and May 4 was led by Anders C. Håkansson, a professor of psychiatry at Lund University. Respondents were asked questions about their gambling behaviour since the Covid-19 pandemic took hold. 

Out of the people surveyed, 1,246 said they had gambled in some way in the last 12 months. Out of those, 5.9 per cent said they had gambled more since the pandemic began, while 11.6 per cent said they gambled less. 

The study found that players were more likely to gamble less across every vertical, but was highest for sports betting, suggesting players stopped betting rather than moving to other products. 

Sports bettors, and those who gambled at land-based casinos or slots, were the least likely to increase gambling during the pandemic.

Online poker players were the most likely to increase their gambling, followed by online bingo players and then online casino players.

Also, young people were more likely to gamble more than older respondents, with 17.7 per cent of 18 to 24 year olds, and 13.0 per cent of 25 to 29 year olds, saying they had increased play, while 4.6 per cent of those aged 40 to 49; 2.5 per of those between 50 and 59, and 4.1 per cent of over 60s had gambled more.

The study sought to identify high-risk players by asking questions from the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI).

Among the players who scored zero on the risk index, who comprised 79 cent of the sample, only 1.8 per cent said they had gambled more during the pandemic.

The rate increased progressively, with 27.4 per cent of players scored as high-risk players saying they had gambled more. Of the players who said they had self-excluded from gambling at some time in the past year, 32.8 per cent said they had gambled more.

Håkansson concluded that lower risk customers found it easier to limit or stop gambling during the crisis, but that there was no evidence of income affecting the amount of play.

The study’s publication comes after Sweden passed controversial temporary restrictions on online gambling. The first empirical study on gambling behaviour during the Covid-19 pandemic was published just last week concentrated on sports bettors and also found had not converted to other online gambling products.