Lund University study alludes to loophole in Swedish self-exclusion process

Almost 40% of Swedes to have self-excluded from licensed sites are still gambling online, according to a new research study from the Nordic nation.

Lund University duo Anders Håkansson and Carolina Widinghoff conducted their research in May 2020 and discovered that 38% of individuals using the Spelpaus self-exclusion register continued to gamble.

Of those 38%, the majority (52%) gambled using online casinos, while 16% continued to partake in online sports betting.

Less than 5% said they gambled via “illegal gambling establishments” while self-excluding.

The research also found that those most likely to self-exclude were younger, female and at a higher propensity to suffer from psychological distress.

Since Spelpaus’ launch on 1 January 2019, 59,786 Swedes have self-excluded from gambling, representing just over 0.5% of the Scandinavian country’s total population.

Håkansson and Widinghoff said: “From these findings so far, it can at least be concluded that even an official and nationwide self-exclusion from gambling does not rule out a risk of gambling to some extent during periods of self-exclusion.

“The study also concludes that gambling despite self-exclusion, even in a broad nationwide multi-operator system, remains a challenge in online gamblers.

“Thus, while self-exclusion is a promising tool for prevention and harm reduction, more research is needed in order to evaluate and optimise its effects,” they added.