Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare or THL report revealed that gambling rates had dropped among minors. This happened since 2011 when Finland raised its age limit for slot machines from 15 to 18 years old. Yet, a quarter of underage boys continue to play slots.
87% of males and 54% of the females surveyed before the change who had gambled on slot machines. This is according to a 2011 edition of the survey.
This year, it reduced to 25% for males and 6% for females. Even though this declined to 16% this year, a blended prevalence rate across both genders showed 24% were still playing slot machines in 2019.
Slots gambling reduced from 24% in 2019 to 16% in 2024 across both genders.
The report also highlighted a drop in underage gambling activities between 2011 and 2024, as noted by Antti Koivula of the Finnish law firm Legal Gaming. Rather than the fact underage gambling remains prevailing, it was surprising to lead with the decline in participation as a positive effect of the 18+ minimum age.
He said on LinkedIn that his key takeaway from the survey is that 25% of 15-year-old boys gamble, which is way too much for his liking.
Nonetheless, the issue remains common as 15% of Finnish students surveyed said they had gambled for money between April 2023 and April 2024. This is based on information collected by teachers from 177 schools.
The 2011 survey did not track gambling activity across other product verticals.
The 2014 statistics included online gambling, lottery, and traditional card games under general gambling activities. The report is conducted every four to five years to monitor alcohol, drug, and gambling use among teenagers across Europe.
25% of males and 4% of females, broken by gender, aged under 18 admitted to gambling across different products.
