Spillemyndigheden, the Danish Gambling Authority, has declared that Denmark had Europe’s 12th-highest gambling spend in 2022, with an average spend of DKK 2,350 (€315.61) per person over the age of 18.
Breaking this figure down further, the authority noted that 60 per cent of this spending has come from online channels – such as computers, smartphones and tablets – which ranks Denmark fourth when compared to other European countries.
Spillemyndigheden stated that the proportion of online gambling taking place is not surprising due to general technological developments increasing in recent years.
In comparison to other Nordic countries, the authority added that Denmark spent the least on gambling, with Sweden, Norway and Finland all having higher average gambling spend.
Anders Dorph, Director of Spillemyndigheden, commented: “Even though the majority of Danes’ gambling takes place online, the Danish Gambling Authority naturally still supervises the land-based gambling market such as casinos and gambling arcades and kiosks, among other places.
“It is important that the law is complied with, both concerning online and land-based gambling.”
For 2022, Spillemyndigheden revealed that the total GGR for the Danish gambling market amounted to DKK 10.1bn (€1.36bn), down 2.8 per cent compared to the previous year (2021: DKK 10.4bn).
From 2022’s total GGR, 63 per cent came from online gambling, down slightly year-over-year as land operations opened up once more following COVID lockdowns.
Per segment, lottery earned the most GGR over the year with DKK 3,381m, 33 per cent of the country’s market, followed by online casino with DKK 2,904m (29 per cent), betting with DKK 2,317m (23 per cent), gaming machines with DKK 1,154m (11 per cent) and land-based casino with DKK 349m (4 per cent).
The authority added that the number of people on the self-excluded register at the end of 2022 was 38,921. This figure is over 8,000 more compared to 30,451 in 2021 and the biggest annual increase since ROFUS was established in 2012.
Calls to StopSpillet – a helpline providing advice and guidance on compulsive gambling and responsible gambling – have increased as well over the past year to 560 (2021: 499). About half of the calls came from players, while 38 per cent came from relatives and 6 per cent from professionals.
