MORE DETAIL ON SWEDISH PROBLEM GAMBLING STUDY

23 November 2007

27 percent of online poker players at Svenska Spel could be at risk


Readers will recall a brief pre-publicity report carried by InfoPowa earlier this year on a study by the Swedish National Institute of Public Health carried out on the orders of the Swedish government to assess the social impact of Svenska Spel's venture into online poker.

This week IGN reports the release of more detailed figures from the survey, which involved a significant sample of 16 500 respondents over a one year period, and flagged the danger of 27 percent of online poker players becoming problem gamblers. The figure is in stark contrast to the corresponding statistic for non-poker online players of 2.1 percent.

However, the classification of what constitutes a problem gambler has come in for some argument. The Institute used the yardstick of the respondent having played online in the previous twelve months and having twice in that time attempted to reduce their level of gambling; felt impatient or irritated at not being able to gamble or prevaricated on how much they gambled. Consequently, a more detailed study is planned for 2008 which will feature a stronger focus on how a problem gambler is classified.

Svenska Spel, which turned over a total of SEK 20 billion (GBP 2.2 billion) last year and was prevented by its government masters from joining with Boss Media in "exporting" its expertise to another WLA country last month will undoubtedly be closely monitoring progress on the new study.

Other interesting statistics revealed in the current Swedish National Institute of Public Health survey:


* Between 126 000 and 157 000 adults played online poker on a monthly basis at Svenska Spel throughout 2006.

* Male online poker players outnumbered females by a ratio of 10:1

* Average age of Svenska Spel online players is 25

* Most online players were under 40 years old

* A majority of the interviewed poker players live with their parents, in a dorm or a collective house.

* Poker players tend to be self-employed or are college students

* There are indications that alcohol consumption by online poker players is above the national average.

Online Casino News courtesy of InfoPowa