Danish regulator survey: classroom talks shifted students toward seeing gambling as entertainment
A report from the Danish Gambling Authority on its free classroom talks found students more likely to call gambling entertainment than a way to win money. The survey compared 1,433 answers before the talks with 534 afterwards, so it shows a group shift, not proof that individual students changed.
South African players and parents face the same awareness gap: many young people do not realise that lottery scratchcards or in-game loot boxes count as gambling, and online casinos here are offshore with no local licensing. The Danish findings are a small but concrete example of education reaching teenagers before they start. They are also a reminder to read results carefully, because a survey that cannot match individual answers shows a change across a group, not what any one student did.
What the survey did
iGaming Business reported on 30 October 2026 on a report from the Danish Gambling Authority about its free classroom presentations. The talks ran between September 2024 and March 2025 at youth education institutions, with students typically aged 16 to 20. Researchers gathered 1,433 survey responses before the presentations and 534 three to six weeks after.
Because answers could not be matched between the two rounds, the researchers could not say how any individual student's views changed.
What changed
After the talks, students were less likely to name winning money as their main reason for gambling and more likely to call it entertainment. More than three-quarters agreed with key messages from the sessions, including that gambling pays back less than 100% of stakes and that profiting over time is mathematically unlikely.
Among women, the share who recognised they had tried gambling rose from 19% to 48%, which the authors read as better awareness of past activity such as scratchcards, not more students starting. Awareness of the Danish licence mark among men rose from 39% to 61%. About 69% said they felt in control of how much they gambled.
The wider Danish push
The authority has also launched a campaign called Casino in the Children Room, aimed at gambling-like features in children's games. We cover it in a separate brief.
What it means for South African players
- Scratchcards, lotteries and some in-game purchases are forms of gambling or look like it. Talk to teenagers about them early.
- No gambling product pays back more than it takes in over time, so treat spending as the cost of entertainment.
- South African help is available through the responsible gambling page, which lists support services.
What to watch next
Watch whether Denmark expands the programme and whether other regulators publish comparable evidence. A stronger design, such as tracking the same students over time, would make results firmer.