Danish gambling lessons shift students’ focus from winnings to entertainment

Classroom presentations by the Danish Gambling Authority appear to have improved students’ understanding of gambling. Respondents placed greater emphasis on entertainment and less on winning money.

A new report examined survey responses collected around free presentations at youth education institutions. The sessions covered gambling mechanics, financial expectations and how to recognise operators licensed in Denmark.

The findings suggest that education can help challenge misconceptions about gambling. However, differences between the survey groups mean the results cannot establish how individual students changed their views or behaviour.

Scratchcards expose gaps in gambling knowledge

Researchers analysed 1,433 responses. These were collected before presentations delivered between September 2024 and March 2025. They also gathered 534 responses three to six weeks afterwards. Students were generally aged between 16 and 20.

One of the clearest findings concerned whether young people recognised their previous experiences as gambling.

Among female respondents, the proportion reporting that they had tried gambling increased from 19% before the presentations to 48% afterwards. The report attributed this to improved recognition of past activity, rather than evidence that the sessions prompted students to start gambling.

Scratchcards were a particular source of confusion, including Christmas calendar  scratchcards that students had not necessarily associated with other gambling products.

“There is a general ignorance about which areas are defined as gambling, so it is an eye-opener for many, especially girls, when we tell them that scratchcards such as Christmas calendar scratchcards are also gambling.” - Heine Jakobsen, a special consultant in the authority’s presentation group

The finding shows a challenge for awareness programmes. The challenge is that students may already have encountered gambling without identifying it as such.

Entertainment replaces expectations of profit

After the sessions, respondents were less likely to identify winning money as their main motivation for gambling. There were more likely to describe it as entertainment.

That shift showed a central message of the presentations in that gambling should be understood as a paid leisure activity rather than a reliable source of income.

More than three-quarters of respondents agreed with key messages addressed during the sessions. These included the financial disadvantage players face over time and the role of the Danish licence mark.

Among male respondents, the proportion expressing strong awareness of what the licence mark meant increased from 39% to 61%.

Around 69% of respondents also agreed or strongly agreed that they felt in control of how much they gambled. This was a self-reported assessment, however, rather than an independent measure of gambling harm.

Survey design limits conclusions

The research provides encouraging evidence of greater understanding. That being said, its design does leave important questions unanswered.

Responses could not be matched between the two survey rounds. This prevented researchers from tracking individual changes. The smaller follow-up sample also means the findings compare groups with potentially different characteristics.

Consequently, the results should not be read as proof that the presentations reduced harmful gambling or changed long-term habits.

Nevertheless, they identify clear gaps in students’ existing knowledge and suggest classroom education can help address them. The authority’s free sessions use practical exercises to explain gambling mechanics and encourage realistic expectations about winning.