The Danish Gaming Authority, Spillemyndigheden, has published an update on the number of self-excluded bettors in the country who have barred themselves from gambling using the Register of Voluntary Excluded Players (ROFUS).

Having first been introduced to the Danish gambling market in 2012 as part of a wider implementation of gambling harm prevention policies, a total of 30,451 players have now excluded themselves via ROFUS as of 31 December 2021.

By the close of ROFUS’ opening year, 1,456 Danes had self-excluded, with the figure reaching double digits by 2017 at 12,877 before nearly doubling by 2017 at a total of 21,586 – including both temporarily and permanently excluded players, as ROFUS allows self-exclusion periods of 24 hours, one, three or six months, or indefinite barring. 

This increase in player exclusions, which has occurred at a rate of 4,000 per year, has been attributed by Spillemyndigheden to increased promotion and referring of customers to ROFUS, as well as referrals ‘in a more prominent way’ via operator websites. 

In particular, young males were the most likely to self-exclude from the gambling market, with 76% off all excluded individuals coming from this demographic whilst the 20-29 year old and 30-39 year old age groups consisted 58% and men in these brackets accounted for 26% and 22% of all barred bettors respectively.

In comparison, women in the 20-29 and 30-39 year old age groups made up just $% and 6% of total self-exclusion numbers, although the latter accounted for the most self-excluded females, followed by 40-49 and 50-59 at 5% each.

“The Gaming Authority works to ensure a proper and well-regulated gaming market in Denmark, where gambling for money takes place responsibly,” Spillemyndigheden stated. 

“Protection of players is one of the Gaming Authority’s most important tasks, and the board has a department dedicated to working responsible gaming. The department handles both the administration of ROFUS and StopSpillet, the Gaming Authority’s guide to gambling addiction.”

Towards the end of last year, Danish legislators moved to further enhance the country’s player protection protocols through the introduction of mandatory ‘player cards’, which would function as IDs, at local betting kiosks.

Supported by a cross-section of the Danish parliament, including the major political parties, and the Ministry of Taxation, the cards would be used to check whether players are above the age of 18 before placing a bet, whilst also determining if a potential player has voluntarily excluded themselves from gambling or if they have exceeded self-set spending limits.