Danish Gambling Education Study: Spillemyndigheden Reports Gains Among Students Aged 16 to 20

Spillemyndigheden, Denmark's gambling regulator, has published a study of its gambling education presentations showing that students aged 16 to 20 at youth education institutions understood gambling products, regulation and risk better afterward, according to Focus Gaming News on 2 November 2026.

Spillemyndigheden is the Danish Gambling Authority, the body that licenses and supervises gambling in Denmark. The study is a result rather than a rule, fine or licensing decision, but it gives operators, educators and policymakers a measured look at whether classroom outreach changes how young adults think about gambling.

What the study measured

The authority gave educational presentations in schools and colleges across Denmark and surveyed students before and after. The participants were aged 16 to 20 and enrolled at youth education institutions. The before-and-after design lets the regulator compare the same attitudes at two points rather than rely on a single snapshot.

According to Focus Gaming News, the study looked at four areas: knowledge of gambling products, knowledge of regulation, awareness of risk, and how students think of gambling as a concept.

What changed after the presentations

The reported direction of change was positive across most measures.

The licence logo result is the most practical for the market. The logo is how a player can tell a Denmark-licensed offer from an unlicensed one, so higher recognition among 16-to-20-year-olds supports the regulator's wider effort against illegal operators. Earlier Gamingo coverage tracked how Denmark blocked 83 illegal gambling sites and how the authority targets illegal gambling.

The shift toward seeing gambling as entertainment rather than income matters because income expectations are a recognized marker of riskier gambling attitudes. A presentation that moves students away from that view is aimed at the belief itself, not just at product knowledge.

The rise in reported gambling

One finding cuts against a simple success story. Focus Gaming News includes a section asking why more students reported having gambled after the presentations than before.

There are at least two readings. Students may have answered more candidly once a presentation had made the topic easier to discuss, or the sessions may coincide with real changes in behavior. Which explanation holds affects how the study should be summarized, and it is the part of the report to read closely before drawing conclusions about effectiveness.

The backdrop is that gambling among minors is already a concern in Denmark. A Folkeskolen advertorial cites a Spillemyndigheden survey in which 15% of 15-to-17-year-olds had gambled for money in the past year, although the legal age is 18.

How it fits Spillemyndigheden's education work

The study builds on a longer run of outreach. The authority launched an educational website on responsible gambling in December 2023. Folkeskolen reports that the StyrPåSpillet.dk platform offers free teaching material for grades 7 to 10.

The regulator has also gained tools on the enforcement side, covered in the expansion of its enforcement powers in July 2024. Education and enforcement now sit side by side in its approach.

Other markets run comparable programs. In the UK, Ygam launched a gaming and esports education program in April 2025, and the English Gambling Education Hub launched in October 2023 to address youth gambling harm. Denmark's before-and-after approach adds a measurement layer to that kind of outreach.

What it means for operators and educators

For licensed operators, the practical takeaway is that the regulator is investing in making the licence logo recognizable to young adults, who are about to enter the legal player base. For schools and youth institutions, the result supports short, structured presentations as a way to improve knowledge of products, rules and risk.

The open question is the increase in reported gambling. Until the regulator explains it in full, headline claims that the presentations shifted behavior should be treated cautiously, while the knowledge and awareness gains are the clearer outcomes.

Status reviewed on 2 November 2026. The findings come from Focus Gaming News reporting on the Spillemyndigheden study. More regulation news and EMEA coverage.