Gambling and gambling
regulation in Norway
Ingeborg Rossow
Norwegian Institute for Alcohol and Drug Research, Oslo
Presentation at
International Conference on Gambling in the Czech
Republic and its New Regulatory Framework
Prague,
October 9, 2014
Slot machine gambling:
liberalized policy in the 1990s
More actors allowed
No restrictions on
amount of winnings
Co-occurred with
technical advances
and change from
coin input to bank
note acceptors
Led to an increase in:
Number of slot machines and gross turnover
Further increase in slot machine
gambling in Norway
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
2000
2001
2002
All other games
2003
2004
2005
Slot machines
Gross turnover in billion NOK per year
Slot machines important in problem
gambling
• «Slot machines – the crack cocaine of
gambling addiction»
• Most frequent in adult problem gamblers
– Population survey (Lund & Nordlund, 2003)
• Most frequent in teenage problem gamblers
– School survey (Rossow & Hansen, 2003)
• Most often reported as main problem in help
line callers
– Norwegian help line statistics, 2006/2007
Regulations of slot machine gambling
• 2006: Bank note acceptors prohibited July 1st
• 2007: Slot machines removed July 1st
Monopoly established
• 2009: New and fewer slot machines
introduced
Changes in gross turnover
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
2000
2002
2005
All other games
Bank note acceptor prohibited from July 1st
2006
2007
2008
Slot machines
Slot machines removed from July 1st
Changes in gross turnover
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
2000
2002
2005
2006
2007
All other games
Bank note acceptor prohibited
2008
2009
2010
2011
Slot machines
Slot machines removed
New slot machines
Changes in help line calls
1000
800
600
400
200
0
1st half 2006
2nd half 2006
All other games
Bank note acceptor prohibited
1st half 2007
2nd half 2007
Slot machines
Slot machines removed
Changes in help line calls
900
800
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
1st half
2006
2nd 1st half 2nd
half
2007
half
2006
2007
All other games
Bank note acceptor prohibited
Half
2008
Half
2009
Half
2010
Half
2011
Slot machines
Slot machines removed
New slot machines
Changes in problem gambling prevalence –
adult population NODS
10
8
6
4
2
0
2002
2007
At risk
Bank note acceptor
prohibited
2008
Problem
Slot machines
removed
Lund & Nordlund, 2003; Øren & Bakken, 2007; Bakken & Weggersberg, 2008
Changes in problem gambling prevalence –
adult population CPGI
10
8
6
4
2
0
2002
2007
2008
At risk
Bank note acceptor
prohibited
2010
Problem
Slot machines
removed
New slot
machines
Kavli & Berntsen, 2005; Kavli, 2007; Kavli & Torvik, 2008; Pran & Ukkelberg, 2010
Changes in problem gambling prevalence –
youth population SOGS-RA
10
8
6
4
2
0
2004
2005
At risk
2006
Problem
Bank note acceptor
prohibited
Hansen & Rossow, 2010
Changes in problem gambling prevalence –
youth population: SOGS-RA & self-perceived
10
10
8
8
6
6
4
4
2
2
0
0
2006
At risk
2008
Problem
Slot machines
removed
2006
2008
Self-perceived problem
Rossow, Hansen & Storvoll, 2013
Summary of findings
• Prohibition of note acceptors
–
–
–
–
Reduced gross turnover on slot machines and in total
Reduced help line calls from slot machine gamblers and in total
Reduced problem gambling among youth
No change in problem gambling among adults
• Removal of slot machines
–
–
–
–
Reduced gross turnover in total
Reduced help line calls from slot machine gamblers and in total
Mixed findings re problem gambling among youth
Reduced problem gambling among adults
• Introduction new slot machines
– Increased gross turnover on slot machines and in total, not to preintervention level
– Increased help line calls from slot machine gamblers and in total, not to
pre-intervention level
– Increased prevalence of gambling problems among adults, not to preintervention level
Changes attributable to interventions?
• Theoretical plausible explanations
– Standard economic theory of availability and demand
– Total consumption model predicting problem rates
• Methodological limitations and concerns imply
cautiousness in inferring intervention effects
– Increased unregistered gambling abroad?
– Diminishing interest/need for help line after introduction?
– Changes in other gambling (e.g. on internet) may have affected
changes in problem gambling
– Low prevalence figures for problem gambling sensitive to
random variation
– Large decrease in response rates in adult population surveys
Thank you!