Spillemyndigheden reports rise in students checking Danish gambling licences

Denmark's Spillemyndigheden has published a report assessing the results of its educational sessions on gambling held at upper-secondary schools and youth education programmes, the authority said. The report is based on 1,967 student responses collected through questionnaires given before and after the sessions between September 2024 and March 2025.

According to the report, the share of male students who said they paid much or very much attention to the Spillemyndigheden licence mark on gambling sites rose from 39% before the sessions to 61% afterwards, an increase of 22 percentage points. The authority said the result shows that a direct explanation of how the regulated market works can strengthen young people's ability to recognise licensed offerings.

The report also found incomplete knowledge of which products count as gambling. Before the sessions, many students did not know that scratchcards and Christmas calendars with instant prizes fall into the category of games with cash winnings. Among female students, the share who recognised having already taken part in such games rose from 19% before the session to 48% after, a difference of 29 percentage points; the authority said this does not indicate an actual increase in participation but a greater ability to identify activities already practised.

More than 75% of students agreed with the main educational messages, including that games with cash winnings have a return percentage below 100%, that earning money over the long term is mathematically improbable and that the official Spillemyndigheden mark identifies licensed operators in Denmark, according to the report. Students also showed a greater tendency after the sessions to see gambling as a form of entertainment rather than a way to earn money.

Anders Dorph, director of the Danish authority, said it is an important task for the Spillemyndigheden to give young people a detailed view of gambling and its mechanisms. Heine Jakobsen, a specialist consultant at the authority, said there is a general lack of knowledge about which activities are defined as games with cash winnings, and that for many, especially girls, it is a discovery that scratchcards such as those in Christmas calendars belong to this category.

Jakobsen is part of a group of eight authority employees who carry out information activities in schools and sports associations, with about 100 sessions organised each year, according to the report. The authority said it will continue the free programme for students at youth education institutions, focusing on knowledge of gambling products, financial risks, recognition of licensed operators and the principles of responsible gambling. The report documents improvements in students' stated knowledge and perceptions after the sessions, but the information published does not establish whether such changes translate into different behaviour over the long term.