Denmarks StopSpillet gaming helpline has taken in almost 3,000 calls since its start in 2019.
StopSpillet is managed by the Danish regulatory body Spillemyndigheden and offers specialized gaming support services. Since its beginning on January 1, 2019, StopSpillet has received 2,933 requests for assistance. Statistics show that a significant portion of these calls come from individuals struggling with gaming issues.
Gamers themselves made 1,650 calls, making up 56% of the total. Additionally, 1,150 calls, representing 40% of the total, came from relatives of gamers. Of these calls, roughly half were from parents. Meanwhile, 4% of the calls came from professionals.
The report states: “The Gambling Authority has been diligently working to increase awareness of StopSpillet, for instance through advertising campaigns. When players, relatives, or professionals contact the helpline, trained advisors answer the phone. Advisors are constantly striving to enhance their knowledge and abilities.”
Digital wagering constitutes the overwhelming majority of contacts to the StopSpillet hotline.
When individuals contact StopSpillet for assistance, the hotline inquires about their gaming preferences to ascertain the most prevalent concerns.
StopSpillet reports that sixty-seven percent of calls are associated with internet casinos and online wagering. Traditional betting and physical slot machines account for twenty percent, while participants also mentioned poker and physical casino betting.
When individuals reach out to StopSpillet, they can also partake in an assessment to gauge the nature of their relationship with gambling.
StopSpillet observes that, on average, callers achieve a score of 5.94 on a scale ranging from zero to nine, with a score of four or higher indicating a gambling issue.
Prior StopSpillet data has already pinpointed a problem with gambling among Danish youth.
This recent StopSpillet report follows data disclosed in May 2023 by Spillemyndigheden, which revealed that eighty-eight percent of hotline callers placed their initial wager at the age of twenty-five or younger.
Despite the legal gambling age in Denmark being eighteen, fifty percent of callers placed their first bet before the age of seventeen.
Research unveiled in November indicated that four percent of StopSpillet calls originated from participants under the age of eighteen.
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