Svenska Spel has pledged to fund five new research projects aimed at enhancing the understanding of Swedish gambling addiction and its societal impacts.
This initiative was announced by the Independent Research Council of Svenska Spel, Sweden’s state-owned gambling and lotteries operator.
The research projects will collectively receive funding of SEK 4.1m (€350,000), with the aim of providing Swedish public health stakeholders with increased knowledge on gambling addiction and to help determine effective treatment measures and policies.
Anders Håkansson of Lund University has been granted SEK 800,000 (€67,400) to study the effects of the Spelpaus self-exclusion tool on gamblers and their close relatives.
Malmö University has been allocated SEK 700,000 (€59,000) to fund a study that will examine gambling habits and their mental health consequences among Swedish youth. This is part of a broader WHO project spearheaded by principal researcher Claes Andersson.
The Karolinska Institutet is set to receive SEK 1m (€84,200) to evaluate the influence of instant payment solutions on problem gamblers and to develop a screening tool that identifies harmful gambling at the payment level.
Kristina Berglund from the University of Gothenburg will helm a project, funded by SEK 800,000, that delves into the psychological traumas and addictive habits of problem gamblers.
Lastly, Lund University will be provided SEK 800,000 to create a family-centred treatment programme addressing problematic computer gaming among children and youths.
Svenska Spel emphasised that these research projects are designed to disseminate best practices, treatment methods, and preventive strategies for gambling addiction to key stakeholders and frontline organisations addressing addiction in Sweden.
Since its inception in 2010, Svenska Spel’s independent council has allocated SEK 45m (€4m) to 35 diverse research and scientific studies focusing on gambling addiction.
Sara Lindholm Larsson, Chairman of Svenska Spel’s Independent Research Council, said: “The research contributes to the formulation of policies and guidelines, the introduction of new treatment methods, and the development of preventive measures to mitigate gambling.
“Svenska Spel’s dedication to research and the proliferation of knowledge about games is pivotal for many in our society, both today and in the future.”
