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The number of problem gamblers in Norway has halved since the last survey in 2019 and fewer players are using offshore gambling sites unlicensed in the country, according to a University of Bergen study.
About 23,000 Norwegians have problem gambling habits and about 93,000 are at risk, according to the study.
That compares with about 55,000 problem gamblers and 122,000 at risk in 2019.
“The decline is so great that there is no doubt that the work to stop illegal gambling companies has an effect,” said Norwegian Gambling Authority department director Henrik Nordal.
Nordal claimed that the decline was related to government efforts to restrict payment processing and advertising for offshore, unlicensed gambling companies.
The Norwegian gambling monopoly, Norsk Tipping, has also lowered its loss limits since the 2019 survey.
About 2.1 percent of players were deemed to display problematic behaviour, according to the survey.
The university surveyed 30,000 residents in Autumn 2022 and it received about 7,400 responses. It is the fourth such survey in ten years.
The risk of being a problem or moderate-risk gambler increased for men, those with low education and low income, or those born outside Norway, according to the survey.
The most common reasons given for gambling were “for fun” and “to win”, the report said.
Only about 0.4 percent of respondents used cryptocurrency for gambling, while about 7 percent had purchased cryptocurrency for any reason, the study said.
Separately, Norsk Tipping said it will reduce the maximum monthly spending limit for players under the age of 20 to 2,000 Norwegian krone (€168), as of today (June 1).
All the company’s customers are already subject to a maximum NOK20,000 monthly loss limit, but Norsk Tipping decided to cut limits for 18- to 20-year olds because surveys have shown that younger players are more vulnerable, the company said.
The company has about 30,000 players under the age of 20, about 2,000 of which have lost more than NOK2,000 at least one month in the past year, Norsk Tipping said.
Casino games, which were deemed higher risk, have lower limits.
