Teen gambling across Europe is surging amid weak oversight

There have been 21 cases of underage gambling reported to Norwegian operator Norsk Tipping since January 2024.

In 2023, 22.9% of 16-year-olds in Ireland had participated in gambling. Across Europe, gambling rates amongst 15 to 16-year-olds have almost doubled from 8% to 14% in 2024 compared to 2019.

Last year, it was reported that a large number of 15 to 16-year-olds in Finland continued to play games of chance, including slot machines.

An underage gambling issue across Europe is blooming. Will teen gambling rates continue to rise? What can regulators do to stop this issue?

How are minors circumventing identity checks?

Despite regulators imposing strict rules, such as identity checks to verify a player’s age, minors are still managing to access online casino sites.

The Norwegian Gambling Authority (NGA) discovered that a significant transfer of money had been made from a minor’s bank account to Norsk Tipping, the country’s state-owned operator.

Those under age are using betting accounts registered under adult identities, which violates the terms laid out by Norsk Tipping and the Gambling Act.

It is likely that similar methods are being used in countries like Ireland and Finland to get around gambling age restrictions.

Will underage gambling rates continue to rise?

Finland aimed to address issues with teen gambling by raising the age limit for slot machines from 15 to 18 years old in 2011. Nevertheless, a survey has shown that 25% of Finnish boys aged 15 still continue to gamble.

Moreover, research has demonstrated that 15% of Finnish students gambled for money across the period between April 2023 and April 2024.

While there still remain links between online gaming, gambling and addiction, this issue appears to be escalating, and more must be done to stop it before it becomes a greater problem.

Online gaming and gambling go hand in hand. The gamification of the gambling industry is attracting younger audiences. Meanwhile, the gamblifcation within the gaming industry is leading to addiction.

What is being done to prevent youth gambling?

The NGA is investigating the full details about how there were 21 cases of underage gambling, asking Norsk Tipping about risk assessments, identity checks and access through adult accounts.

Meanwhile, the new Irish regulator, the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI), is looking to impose heavy fines on operators found to have facilitated underage gambling. This could see gambling companies receive penalties as high as 10% of their turnover.

Those found responsible for allowing children to gamble could face up to eight years' imprisonment under the Gambling Regulation Act 2024.

Spain is also looking to tighten identity checks, following 2022 reports that showed over 21% of 14 to 18-year-olds had participated in some form of gambling activity for money. Part of the proposals includes making online game designs less attractive.

The bottom line

Ultimately, underage gambling is an issue that is expected to continue. However, it is encouraging to see that greater measures are being taken to address this problem.

While there doesn’t seem to be a foolproof solution to eradicate underage gambling entirely from the industry, harsher fines and tighter identity checks should help nullify the current risk level.

Nevertheless, suggestions of making online game designs less attractive in Spain are another solution that could be followed across Europe.