Swelogs population study on gambling and health

Running from 2008 until 2015, Swelogs is the largest research program ever on gambling habits and health in Sweden. The study shows that two percent of the population has a gambling problem and five percent are at risk of developing a gambling problem.

The Swedish National Institute of Public Health is conducting a longitudinal population study on gambling and health. The research follows two tracks; an epidemiological track and an in-depth track. Currently, two measurment points have been undertaken in the epidemiological track with 8 000 randomly selected respondents aged 16 to 84 years. Two further observations points are planned until 2015. The in-depth track, conducted by FORUM at Karolinska Institute, is a case-control study focusing on the risk and protective factors of problem gambling. The first measurment point for the in-depth track was performed in 2011 and two further data collections are planned before 2015.

So far, results show that during the past decade there has been a significant decline in the proportion of the population that gambles in Sweden, with a drop from 88 percent in 1998/1999 to 70 percent in 2008. The amount of money spent on gambling is, however, relatively stable suggesting that gamblers spend more money on gambling today than before.

Two percent of the population has a gambling problem and five percent are at risk of developing a gambling problem. Gambling problems are present in all groups in the population but the proportion of problem gamblers is greater among men.

There is a high proportion of problem gamblers among minors despite the fact that almost the whole gaming market in Sweden has an age limit of 18 for gambling. Among 16 to 17 year olds, the proportion of problem gamblers is almost twice as high compared to the rest of the population. One tenth of men aged 18 to 24 years are problem gamblers, a proportion that has doubled over the past decade.

The results also show that gambling is unevenly distributed in the population. Those with intermediate level of education and/or an income in the middle range, gamble more than those with less education and/or low incomes.

Swelogs, Swedish Longitudinal Gambling Study, is a long-term research project on gambling and health  in Sweden, led and financed by the Swedish National Institute of Public Health.