Responsible gambling | Spillemyndigheden

As a gambling operator with a licence to offer gambling in Denmark, you are obligated to offer gambling in a responsible manner.

It says in section 1 of the Gambling Act: The purpose of this Act is:

to keep the spending of time and money on gambling at a moderate level,
to protect young people and other vulnerable people from being exploited through gambling or developing an addiction to gambling,
to protect players by ensuring that gambling is offered in a fair, responsible and transparent manner, and
to ensure public order and prevent gambling from being used for the support of crime.

A violation of section 1 of the Gambling Act is not in itself a criminal offence, but the provision is included in interpretations of the additional provisions of the gambling legislation and when the Danish Gambling Authority exercises its powers of discretion in assessments. This means that when the Danish Gambling Authority assesses whether a licence holder complies with the various requirements of the gambling legislation, then the purpose of the Gambling Act will be included in the assessment. The assessment will affect all decisions made by the Danish Gambling Authority, including decisions about reports to the police, as well as decisions on issuing and revoking licences.This means that a licence to offer gambling cannot be issued if the Danish Gambling Authority assesses that the purpose of the Act concerning responsible gambling is not met.

As a licence holder you are obligated to ensure that you comply with the four purposes of the Gambling Act. This is done by, for example, complying with the requirements of the executive orders that regulate the indivudial gambling sectors and by complying with the requirements of the terms and conditions of the licence. But the requirement covers more than this, as you are also obligated to ensure at all times that the players who gamble with you are protected to the furthest possible extent from developing a problematic gambling behaviour.

The Danish Gambling Authority continuously monitor licence holders’ compliance with the requirement to offer gambling responsibly. For example, the Danish Gambling Authority monitor licence holders’ general procedures and policies concerning responsible gambling. If the Danish Gambling Authority become aware of incidents, where it has been possible to gamble large amounts or with much time spent without any interference, it may cause the Danish Gambling Authority to investigate further the licence holder’s actions in the specific case.

Guide on responsible gambling

As a supplement to the Executive Orders of the gambling sectors, the Danish Gambling Authority has published a guide on responsible gambling. The guide includes interpretations on how you comply with the requirements to offer gambling in a responsible manner. In addition to covering the rules, the guide sets out guidelines and suggestions on how licence holders may comply specifically with the obligations on responsible gambling.

Please notice that the Danish Gambling Authority's guide on responsible gambling has not been updated in relation to the introduction of a compulsory Player ID for in-person betting from 1 October 2023. Read more about the Player ID under "News".

The Danish Gambling Authority's guide on responsible gambling

View PDF

What you must do as a licence holder

The responsible gambling measures you are covered by depends on the type of licence you have.
Some of the general measures are reviewed in the next section.

For a detailed description of the requirements that apply to the individual gambling sectors, please read the Executive Orders and the guide on responsible gambling.

What must you inform the player of?

Before participation in a game, the player must be made aware of the age limit of 18 years, which applies to gambling.

In addition, the player must be informed of responsible gambling and the potentially harmful effects of gambling. The information must be prepared in cooperation with a treatment centre specialising in compulsive gambling.

The player must be informed of and receive contact information on Danish compulsive gambling treatment centres. It is not sufficient to refer to a single treatment centre.

View the updated list of state funded treatment centres

To ensure that the player knows that you are licensed and monitored by the Danish Gambling Authority, the Danish Gambling Authority’s label must be visible to the player. The position of the label depends on the wording of the provision in each Executive Order.

Helpline: StopSpillet (StopGambling)

StopSpillet (StopGambling) is the Danish Gambling Authority’s national helpline for compulsive gambling.

As a licence holder, you must ensure that the information about StopSpillet is visible on your website, all online user interfaces and that the information is accessible from all pages. The information must make it easy for the player to get in contact with StopSpillet. That is why it must be clearly visible to players that StopSpillet is a helpline about compulsive gambling. In addition to this, the phone number or link to the website must be easily available when the helpline is mentioned.

For this particular purpose, the StopSpillet logo package may be used in accordance with the guidelines.

Find the logo package here

StopSpillet’s phone number is +45 70 22 28 25

ROFUS

As a licence holder, you are required to be connected to the Danish Gambling Authority’s register of self-excluded players (ROFUS).
In addition, you must convey access to registration with ROFUS on all platforms, where you offer gambling. You must also make sure that you do not send marketing material to players who are registered with ROFUS.

Political focus on responsible gambling

Responsible gambling is a topic which receives great political attention. In June 2018, an agreement on new initiatives against compulsive gambling and adjustments to the gambling agreement was adopted.

Read the political agreement on the Ministry of Taxation's website (in Danish)