The number of bettors in Denmark who have self-excluded from the country’s betting and gaming market has reached over 30,000, according to data from the Spillemyndigheden.

Publishing an update, the Danish Gambling Authority (DGA) detailed that a total of 30,451 gamblers have listed themselves on the Register of Voluntary Excluded Players (ROFUS) since the system’s launch in 2012 as of 31 December 2021.

The Spillemyndigheden found in particular that young males were the most likely to self-exclude from gambling activities, with 76% of all excluded individuals coming from this age/gender demographic.

Meanwhile, 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 self-excluded 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.

Examining the figures from a year-on-year perspective, the 30,451 figure marks a substaintial increase in the nine years since 2012, which saw 1,456 Danes self-exclcude by the conclusion of ROFUS’ opening year. 

The number of self-excluded bettors hit double digits in 2017 at 12,877 before reaaching the 20,000s 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.

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

“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.