Spelinspektionen rolls out gambling education and awareness campaign

The Swedish gambling regulator, the Swedish Gaming Authority (Spelinspektionen), announced the launch of a new campaign that seeks to raise awareness of the dangers of real-money gambling among young adults.

The campaign aims at young adults between the ages of 18 and 25

On Monday, the Authority uncovered details regarding the new campaign called "With your future as a bet."

The initiative targets young adults between the ages of 18 and 25.

To ensure it reaches its target audience, Spelinspektionen confirmed it will collaborate with Sweden's Public Health Agency, as well as the Swedish Crown Prosecutor.

Ultimately, the new campaign seeks to not only raise awareness of the dangers of real-money gambling but also help prevent harm among young people.

Raising awareness of the consequences of unhealthy gambling

Yvonne Hejdenberg, Spelinspektionen's head of communications, commented on the topic in a statement.

She acknowledged that many young adults come across different forms of real money gambling, often through different applications and computer games.

Hejdenberg added: "Through the campaign, we try to talk about the consequences of unhealthy gambling in an emotional way."

Last but not least, the executive explained: "We believe that the campaign will also be able to speak to adults, especially parents or relatives of children in the target group."

Excessive gambling can result in debt

The newly released campaign comes at a time when Spelinspektionen has recorded an uptick in the number of young adults who engage in gambling activities.

The Authority's campaign wants to educate young adults that gambling for real money can have serious consequences, including amassing debt and mental health problems.

Spelinspektionen's campaign highlights the danger of borrowing money for gambling, encouraging young adults never to engage in such practices.

Links to a podcast on how to prevent financial problems, including gambling debt and information about problem gambling are included in the new campaign.

The Authority encourages the use of responsible gambling tools

Notably, the Authority encourages young adults who gamble to set limits for the activity in order to avoid accumulating debt or getting into financial trouble.

Besides spending limits, time limits and other responsible gambling tools can also help reduce the duration of gambling activities. "Sometimes an appropriate limit is to not play at all," explains Spelinspektionen.

Additionally, the Authority encourages gamblers who notice problem behavior to stop gambling or restrict their activities.

Exclusion from gambling activities in Sweden can be completed via Spelpaus, the country's gambling exclusion register. So far, there are 111,410 people who have registered and excluded themselves from gambling activities in Sweden.

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