On 29 October 2026, Danish regulator Spillemyndigheden published a report on lessons about gambling in upper secondary schools. After classes, students more often pay attention to the operator's licence, but they did not play less often.
The survey also showed growth in knowledge about the mathematics of games. The regulator received 1,967 responses from students at upper secondary institutions. The survey ran from September 2024 to March 2025, and most participants were 16 to 20 years old. Responses were collected both before and after the lessons.
Among girls, the share who reported taking part in gambling rose from 19% to 48%. This does not mean gambling increased: many did not consider lottery scratch cards, including Christmas ones, to be gambling.
The share of boys citing money winnings as a motive fell from 64% to 54%, while those choosing entertainment rose from 70% to 87%. Among girls, winning as a motive dropped from 55% to 35%, and entertainment changed from 46% to 42%. The regulator found the decline in financial motivation statistically significant for both groups, and the rise in entertainment motive for boys.
Playing frequency barely changed. Among boys, the share who had not played in the previous week was 47% both before and after the lessons; among girls it rose from 83% to 88%. The makeup of the group that had played changed after the lessons, so direct comparison is difficult.
61% of boys rated attention to whether an operator holds a Danish licence as high or very high, against 39% before the lessons. Growth among girls was smaller. In class, students are introduced to the regulator's official licence mark.
In the final survey, 77% agreed that payout rates for games are below 100%, and 74% agreed that making a profit from gambling over the long run is mathematically unlikely. 82% confirmed that the regulator's mark means a Danish permit, and 77% agreed that gambling should be seen as entertainment, not income.
The report does not show whether actual behavior changed: spending on games, problem gambling and lasting changes were not measured. It also did not measure whether students would avoid unlicensed operators.
