More than a thousand Danes have called national helpline for compulsive gambling

11, Sep 2020

18 months after the Danish Gambling Authority opened the “StopSpillet” (StopGambling) helpline, the advisers have spoken to more than 1,000 people who have sought help and guidance on compulsive gambling.

Back in August, StopSpillet advisers were able to tick the 1000-call milestone.

Most calls come from players who account for 58% of all calls, while 38% are relatives to players with compulsive gambling issues. The last 4% comes from professionals.

Pleased about the many calls

Linda Lomborg, head of the office that runs the helpline, is pleased that StopSpillet has already had 1000 calls. - Although it is not a success criterion for us to get many calls, I welcome every single player, relative or professional who calls in and who gets help and guidance from our skilled advisers! Compulsive gambling is serious and as a public authority we have a responsibility to protect and help the players when gambling goes from entertainment to addiction. That is why I am proud that we have already helped so many, says Linda Lomborg.

Most players are men - most relatives are women

The gender distribution shows that as many as 86% of the players who call in are men. Looking at the figures for the relatives, however, they are somewhat different, as as many as 67% of them are women.

The vast majority of the players who call in are men aged 18-35 - they make up 51% of the "player calls" received from January 2019 - July 2020.

StopSpillet facts ang figures september 2020