U-24s in the Netherlands at risk of problem gambling

A significant number of individuals under the age of 24 are at a moderate-to-high risk of developing a gambling problem, the Dutch government has said in a new study published on its official website. According to the research, an estimated 23% of the individuals in the surveyed group fell under either risk category.

This indicates that despite stiff measures to contravene the spread of problematic behavior in more vulnerable and impressionable groups, more needs to be done to protect the country’s young people. The Netherlands already prohibits the use of famous personalities in gambling advertisements and has passed extensive measures to limit the reach of gambling advertisements in the first place.

On the upside, I&O Research, the research institute that carried out the survey commissioned by the government, discovered that a good 54% of gamers between the ages of 18 and 24 were in fact not at risk of developing a problem.

They were measured against a universal benchmark called the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI), which allows researchers to keep track of gambling trends in the public. The number of high-risk gamblers, though, seems to be significant at 14% compared to 9% for moderate-risk gamblers.

Another 23% were classified as low-risk gamblers altogether, meaning that they are a step further from developing an issue, but not as safe in their conduct and hobby as the non-problematic gambler group. However, no one is insured against reckless spending for one.

The survey argued that 34% of respondents confirmed to have spent more money than they could afford on at least one occasion. Some of the pathologies of gambling addiction were visible in certain behavioral patterns, such as gambling when people should have been doing other things, for some 28% of respondents.

Another 21% confirmed that they would like to quit but they were not sure how to go about it and felt that they were stuck and unable to make the decision for themselves. The biggest interest was drawn by table and casino games, with 60% of respondents confirming having played and tried such products over the 12 months leading up to the survey.

Scratchcards, lotteries, and sports betting were also popular, with nearly 50% of all gamblers participating in these segments at least once over the screened period. Interestingly, the most involved type of players were horse racing bettors and poker players who tended to play every day compared to casino and table games players of whom only 3% played every day.

The age group seems to also have developed significant awareness for recognizing problem gambling behavior, as 75% of respondents confirmed that they would be able to spot the signs in themselves or others. The survey is well taking a look in its entirety and is available as a PDF file here.

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