The Health and Welfare Institute (THL) for the Republic of Finland has warned that although there is a decrease in gambling among adults, that may not translate into a decline in gambling harms, Pechanga.net reported February 28.
This warning came from the 2023 “Gambling Population Survey” the THL conducts every four years on the prevalence of problem gaming risks among adults in the country.
It surveyed nearly 6,000 participants, and concluded that 4.2 percent have moderate risk of problem gambling. This translates into 151,000 people in Finland, and is a 3 percent increase from previous surveys.
This compares to a decline in participation so that 70 percent of citizens engage in gambling, or about 2.5 million. This compares to 78 percent reported in 2019-20.
THL Research Manager Anne Salonen said the government should be aware of this discrepancy, “even though gambling has decreased, the preliminary results clearly show that more serious problems have increased.”
The current government seeks to end the government-controlled monopoly and introduce a licensing model by 2026.
