Economist Ola Nevander has investigated the prevalence of gambling addiction in Sweden since the turn of the millennium on behalf of BOS. The result is a steady decline. It is a result that may be surprising, given the dynamic development of the gambling market during this period. Gambling advertising is more prevalent than before, the number of gambling products is far greater, and the games are available 24/7 on our mobile phones. Nevertheless, gambling addiction is decreasing.
“With the transformation from old anonymous gambling in the kiosk to today’s digital gaming products, we have not solved the problem of gambling addiction, but we seem to have chosen the right path. Used correctly and responsibly, online gambling and AI mean that we have new tools to push problem gambling back to levels so low that we have probably never been there before. We are on the right track, but a lot of work remains,” says BOS Secretary General Gustaf Hoffstedt.