Germany is a paradise for gambling companies. In this country there is not only the classic lottery, but also online casinos, scratch cards, sports betting, virtual and stationary slot games and many other ways to earn money with gamblers. The gross gaming revenue, i.e. the difference between the stakes and winnings of the players, were 13.4 billion euros in 2022. So it’s a profitable business for the companies. But who actually plays for money in Germany? And how big is the addiction problem when it comes to gambling?
The “Gambling Survey”, which appears every two years, deals with these questions. The survey of more than 12,000 people is considered the most important indicator of how participation in gambling and the problems associated with it are developing in Germany. On Wednesday, scientists from the Institute for Interdisciplinary Addiction and Drug Research (ISD) and the University of Bremen presented the 2023 report. The SZ was able to view the study in advance.
2.4 percent of Germans are addicted to gambling
According to the study, one in three Germans played for money at least once in the twelve months before the survey. 12.2 percent of those surveyed even gambled every week. People most often play the lottery and the Eurojackpot. Both types of games are considered comparatively harmless because they do not have any increased addictive potential. The situation is different with slot machines and casino games as well as with sports betting and the gambling game Keno: 2.2 percent of those surveyed said they took part in such a risky game of chance at least once a week. Gerhard Meyer, professor at the University of Bremen and co-author of the study, considers this to be worrying: “Sports betting and other risky forms of gambling are more likely to lead to gambling addiction.”
This is already a problem in Germany today. According to the study, 2.4 percent of the German population between the ages of 18 and 70 are addicted to gambling – about the same number as in 2021. Roughly speaking, that’s more than a million people in the Federal Republic who have to live with addiction. “According to current studies, Germany is in the middle, but the fact that over a million are already addicted shows the explosiveness of the topic,” says Meyer.
Gambling addiction has long been underestimated by the public. The consequences for those affected are often dramatic. Addicts often develop health problems, gamble away large parts of their assets, and the social environment is also exposed to considerable financial and health stress. More than a quarter of the social environment had sleep problems, almost as many felt a feeling of helplessness, and 14.5 percent reported increased levels of depression.
Young men are often affected
According to the study, men aged 18 to 25 are particularly likely to suffer from gambling disorders. They are generally considered to be much more willing to take risks than women of the same age. People with a migrant background are also more likely to have a gambling disorder. This is consistent with previous studies in Germany and abroad and is therefore not surprising for the researchers. What is striking, however, is that the proportion of 18 to 25 year olds with a severe gambling disorder has increased significantly.
Gerhard Meyer from the University of Bremen attributes the fact that a significant part of the population already suffers from gambling addiction to the constant availability and an ever-expanding range of games on offer. Online gambling has been permitted in Germany for several years, as has sports betting. “The more available gambling is, the greater the likelihood that parts of the population will develop addictive behavior, and that is reflected in these numbers,” says Meyer.
New methodology should show a more realistic picture
In addition to those who are already addicted to gambling, there are another 6.1 percent who exhibit “risky gambling behavior”. This means that they meet at least one of the criteria that characterize gambling addiction and are therefore at risk of addiction. “We need a significant restriction on advertising for gambling, especially in risky forms such as sports betting and slot games,” demands Meyer. He would receive support from the population: almost 75 percent of those surveyed are in favor of restricting advertising for gambling.
If you compare the numbers with previous results, it quickly becomes apparent that the current results show a significantly larger proportion of gambling addicts than in 2019 or in previous years. But this is less due to a general trend and more to a change in methodology. The Federal Center for Health Education carried out the evaluation until 2019. In 2021, they took over the Institute for Interdisciplinary Addiction and Drug Research (ISD) and the University of Bremen and switched from a pure telephone survey to a mix of telephone and online surveys.
The researchers hope this will provide a more realistic picture of the actual situation in Germany. As in 2021, the survey was financially supported by the German Lotto and Totoblock, an association of lottery companies from the 16 federal states. The study is independent of content.