Online Gambling Booms in Denmark as Self-Exclusion Sign-Ups Peak

Denmark‘s gambling scene grew in April, with total gross gaming revenue (GGR) climbing to DKK 665 million ($100.6 million), a boost of 11.6% from April last year. Online casinos led this growth, jumping 21.4% to DKK 331 million ($50.8 million), the highest since December 2024.

Slots Dominate Denmark’s Online Casino Revenue as Land-Based Gambling Falters

Numbers from the Danish Gambling Authority (Spillemyndigheden) reveal that slot machines accounted for almost 80% of online casino income, while blackjack and roulette each contributed a bit over 6%. Sports betting saw an upward trend reaching DKK 207 million ($31.8 million). Mobile platforms ruled the betting world, generating more than 70% of the revenue.

On the flip side, brick-and-mortar gambling venues kept struggling. Gaming machines pulled in DKK 93 million ($14.3 million), a 3.6% drop from last year, with gaming arcades still raking in most of the cash compared to restaurants. Land-based casinos saw a small dip to DKK 31 million ($4.8 million), though April turned out to be the industry’s best month in 2025 so far.

Commercial bingo halls, which became regulated in January, added DKK 3 million ($461,090) to the pot in April. At the same time, the total GGR for open gambling markets in the first four months of 2025 hit close to DKK 9.8 billion ($1.5 billion).

Young Adults Lead Calls to Danish Gambling Helpline

As more people gambled, steps to protect players increased, too. By the end of April, 60,325 people had signed up for ROFUS, Denmark’s national self-exclusion system. Out of these, about 65% chose to ban themselves for good, and 80% of those who registered were men.

The StopSpillet (StopGambling) helpline has received 3,533 gambling-related calls since it started. Gamblers themselves made 57% of these calls, while worried family members accounted for 39%. Young adults between 18 and 25 years old made up the largest group of callers, followed by those aged 26 to 35. Almost half of the players started gambling before they turned 18. On average, users said they had struggled with gambling problems for 2.5 years before they decided to ask for help.

When it comes to gambling choices, online casinos and online betting topped the list among callers, with 38.7% and 30% of users mentioning them. More than half of the players who reached out said they had no debt, but over 25% were in debt, and 21.3% were dealing with both debt and payday loans.