The world of gambling can be addictive and destructive. The fact that it’s so easy to access this industry online has contributed to so many people getting addicted to it. The rising cases are a cause of great concern which has led many countries to take stringent measures to guard their citizens against all these negative effects of gambling. Spelpaus is one such initiative that is currently taking place in Sweden.
This is a self-registry that allows consumers of gambling operations to register themselves on this platform and abstain from taking part in any such undertakings. This can be staying away from sports betting or online casinos. This entails self-exclusion where you ban yourself from taking part in any form of gambling. Though this has proven to be an effective initiative, it still has its flaws. It’s completely voluntary and one can opt to start gambling again at any time.
This initiative has seen thousands of Swedes register for this personal ban from taking part in gambling since it was founded. The national gambling regulator in Sweden set up this initiative to try and get more people down a different path. The worrying numbers of people addicted to gambling was a sounding alarm for an impending crisis in this country. This is not only reflective of Sweden but of what is currently taking part in most parts of the world.
Understanding Spelpaus
When Sweden marked the start of the new year back in 2019, it started that year by completely transforming the gambling market. This coincided with when the new laws on this industry came into effect. Legislatures saw a need to protect the citizens more from the onslaught of no-Spelpaus casinos and sport betting companies. This is the time this self-registry was also launched to persuade more people to live a life free from any form of gambling.
Gamblers can self-exclude from any type of gambling activity but all this has to be voluntary. One can opt to leave and get back to gambling at any time they please. Still, for voluntary service, it has reached many people and attained all the targets set by the creators of this registry.
The first target set by this registry upon creation was to register more than 35000 people which it attained by mid-2019. The biggest win for them was that the majority of the people who signed up were youth. This is the most affected age bracket when it came to addiction issues from 25 to 35 years. The people who register have the option of doing this for a certain time or completely opting to remain untainted by gambling forever.
Increase in Addiction Cases
The Swedish authorities have taken more drastic measures to deal with gambling in the country due to a spike in cases of addiction among gamblers. There is a serious increase in the number of gamblers with serious addiction issues. This is according to a report compiled by the Swedish Public Health Agency that conducted this study.
It revealed that there is an increase in cases of addiction and even worse the number was more women than men. Of all those with addiction issues, 64% were women. This has changed the narrative that more men than women get addicted to gambling. This revealed that there is a rise in the number of women who gamble in this day and age.
Drawbacks in Spelpaus
Though the initiative has a good agenda of getting more people to commit to a life free from gambling, some flaws must be addressed. It’s not a perfect solution to the increasing cases of addicts in Sweden.
Self-Registry
The concept relies on people willingly registering on the site and committing to abstain from any gambling activities. This is a good way of bringing people but it also means one can willingly leave. The initiative has seen some of the people go back to gambling after some time. There are no consequences to suffer if you opt to leave and get back to your previous life as a gambler.
Flawed System
The concept was once you registered on this platform, you couldn’t access gambling websites anymore. A little while after the concept went live and people started signing up, they later reported they could still access these sites.
It was later discovered that some websites who were part of Spelpaus had failed to connect their databases to it. This means their users could still access their accounts even after registering on Spelpaus. These websites were fined and further reprimand taken for failing to adhere to set rules and regulations by the licensing authority.
Conclusion
The abuse of gambling is a serious problem and further measures must be taken to gain more control over the industry. Initiatives like Spelpaus are afoot in the right direction. All licensed gambling websites must link to it and respect the wishes of those who opt to self-register.