Danish regulator releases new ROFUS campaign targeting young men
Study conducted by the Danish Gambling Authority finds that 18 to 25-year-old men view self-exclusion from gambling products as “taboo”
The Danish Gambling Authority (DGA) has unveiled a new campaign to raise awareness of the country’s self-exclusion register, ROFUS, among men aged 18 to 25.
Titled ‘Take it to ROFUS’, the new initiative comes after a DGA-cited study claimed young men perceived the self-exclusion scheme as “taboo” and that it was only reserved for those with gambling addictions.
However, the DGA said more than 15,000 males between the ages of 18 and 25 are currently registered with ROFUS. Players of all ages can choose to bar themselves from licensed operators for either 24 hours, or between one and six months, while there is a permanent exclusion option, too.
A further study, commissioned by the DGA, discovered that gambling plays a significant role in young men’s lives, especially at “pre-party events”.
However, while gambling is a notable presence within this demographic and their social settings, the research found there is little discussion between young men regarding the potential negative consequences of gambling.
As part of the campaign, the DGA has released a 60-second video that switches between interviews and increasingly more dangerous activities among a group of men.
The longer the advert goes on, the more evident the contradictions in their respective claims become, designed to highlight that this age group are potentially not totally in control of their gambling.
The DGA said the ad was produced on “young people’s terms” to create more realistic situations that they commonly find themselves in.
Tests on the effectiveness of the campaign have shown that it has had the desired effect, according to the regulator.
Produced by Danish marketing agency Advice, the film will be shown in both cinemas and on YouTube, as well as a variety of streaming sites, including Twitch.
Anders Dorph, director of the DGA, said: “For many, games are an entertainment product, but it is important that there is also room for people to take a break from the game – and ROFUS can be a good tool for many.
“We hope that our new campaign can help inform the target group – which here is primarily younger men – about this.
“When gaming is a big part of the community, it can be vulnerable to speak out and stand out from the crowd.
“That’s why we hope that a new campaign can start a conversation among young people that it’s okay to skip the game and ‘Take it to ROFUS’, which is the campaign’s slogan.”
Last week, the regulator released its full-year 2024 data for the regulated market, which noted that ROFUS had 55,899 registrations by December 2024, split between 36,626 permanently registered players and 19,273 temporary signups.
In line with the reason behind the ‘Take it to ROFUS’ campaign, the data showed 78% of 2024 registrants were men.
Those figures mark an increase compared to previous years, with 46,152 signups in 2023 and 38,921 for 2022.
EGR recently investigated the effectiveness of online self-exclusion tools and spoke with Linda Lomborg, head of division responsible for ROFUS.