Gambling trends in Sweden during the first phase of the COVID-19 outbreak

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Author(s): Lindner, Philip ; Forsström, David ; Jonsson, Jakob ; Berman, Anne H. ; Carlbring, Per

Journal: Frontiers in Public Health

Year Published: 2020

Date Added: December 24, 2020

This study modelled trends in gambling before and during the first phase of the COVID-19 outbreak in Sweden. Specifically, the researchers examined if there was an increase in gambling and whether people who gambled intensely were particularly affected. They also examined if people moved to gamble online on casino games due to the cancelling of sports events. The researchers found that total gambling activity decreased by 13.29% during the first phase of the outbreak (from early March to early April 2020). There was an increase in online casino gambling, but a decrease in online sports betting. There was a decrease in high-intensity gambling, defined as making a deposit over 5,000 SEK in a week. These results suggest no increase in gambling or high-intensity, likely problematic gambling during the first phase of the COVID-19 outbreak in Sweden.

Citation: Lindner, P., Forsström, D., Jonsson, J., Berman, A. H., & Carlbring, P. (2020). Transitioning between online gambling modalities and decrease in total gambling activity, but no indication of increase in problematic online gambling intensity during the first phase of the COVID-19 outbreak in Sweden: A time series forecast study. Frontiers in Public Health, 8, 554542. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2020.554542

Article DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2020.554542

Keywords: COVID-19 ; gambling ; online gambling ; Total Consumption Model

Topics: Online Gambling

Conceptual Framework Factors: Gambling Types ; Exposure - Gambling Setting ; Environment - Social and Economic Impacts ; Types - Structural Characteristics ; Exposure - Accessibility ; Gambling Environment ; Gambling Exposure

Study Design: Observational: Cross-sectional

Geographic Coverage: Sweden

Study Population: Lookup query data of people who gamble who registered to be excluded from any type of licensed gambling in the Gambling Pause Registry, and data from people who gamble who had wagered and made deposits with a large, online gambling provider.

Sampling Procedure: The researchers used two sets of data. The first dataset came from the Swedish Gambling Authority which provided the number of logged lookup queries per day in the Gambling Pause Registry from January 1, 2019 (start of the registry) to April 8, 2020 (first phase of the COVID-19 outbreak). The second dataset came from a large, licensed online gambling provider which provided data on daily total wagers and deposits.

Study Funding:

No specific source of funding was declared.