Underage gambling in Finland still prevalent despite minimum age increase in 2011

The report by from the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) revealed gambling rates had dropped among minors since Finland raised its age limit for slot machines from 15 to 18 years old in 2011. However a quarter of underage boys continue to play slots.

Before the change to the Lotteries Act was made, 87% of males and 54% of the females surveyed had gambled on slot machines according to a 2011 edition of the survey.

That was reduced to 25% for males and 6% for females by 2024. A blended prevalence rate across both genders showed 24% were still playing slot machines in 2019, though this declined to 16% this year.

Across both genders, slots gambling was reduced from 24% in 2019 to 16% in 2024.  

While the report highlighted a drop in underage gambling activities between 2011 and 2024 Antti Koivula of Finnish law firm Legal Gaming queried the reporting. It was surprising to lead with the decline in participation as a positive effect of the 18+ minimum age, rather than the fact underage gambling remains prevalent.

“My key takeaway from the survey is that 25% of 15-year-old boys gamble, which is way too much for my liking,” he said on LinkedIn.

Underage gambling still prevalent among youths in Finland

However, the issue remains prevalent as 15% of Finnish students surveyed said they had gambled for money between April 2023 and April 2024, based on information collected by teachers across 177 schools.

Gambling activity across other product verticals was nottracked in the 2011 survey.

Online gambling as well as lottery and traditional card games were included in the 2014 statistics, under general gambling activities. The report is carried out every four to five years to monitor the use of alcohol, drugs and gambling among teenagers across Europe.

Broken down by gender, 25% of males and 4% of females aged under 18 admitted to gambling across a range of products. The numbers were down from 2019, when 46% of males had gambled and 21% of females.

The research from the Finnish Institute of Health and Welfare forms part of a Europe-wide project, the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD). This will collect data from additional countries and publish its findings in 2025.