Denmark takes aim at gambling-like features in kids’ games with new campaign

On Monday, the Danish Gambling Authority (Spillemyndigheden) unveiled a new public awareness campaign aimed at informing parents about gambling-like features embedded within children’s video games. 

Called “Casino in the Children’s Room”, the initiative seeks to broaden the discussion around young people’s digital habits from mere screen time concerns to the nature of in‑game content and mechanics.

Focus on gambling-like game features

Many popular video games aimed at children are coded with features resembling traditional gambling, including loot boxes, random reward mechanics, and in-game purchases. 

Anders Dorph, director of the Danish Gambling Authority, emphasised that while the debate typically centres on how long children spend gaming, it is equally important to understand the psychological impact of the games’ reward systems.

“The debate about children and digital media is often about screen time. But it is also important to take an interest in the content of the games and the mechanisms that children encounter when they game,” Dorph explained.

A platform and a short film

The campaign features a short film visually transforming a child’s bedroom into a casino, illustrating how gambling motifs and reward systems are integrated into games targeted at young audiences. 

Alongside the film, the Authority is promoting the knowledge platform StyrPåSpillet.dk, which provides in-depth information about gaming, gambling features in games, risks of gambling addiction, and advice on constructive conversations with children about their gaming activities.

In a bid to maximise public visibility, the regulator has installed three temporary shopfront façades designed to look like casinos in key city locations: Bruuns Galleri in Aarhus, Vestergade in Odense, and Købmagergade in Copenhagen. 

Labelled “Casino Kids”, these displays are intended to prompt parents and passers-by to reflect on whether games their children play may include gambling-like features.

Link between gambling-like feature and problem gambling 

Denmark are not the first to put the spotlight on the risks of gambling-like features within games played by those underage. Last year, a report by the Swedish gambling regulatory (Spelinspektionen) found a link between young adults that participated in gambling via video games while under age and risky gambling behaviours. 

The results showed a link between those who started purchasing loot boxes as a minor and those who went on to show problematic gambling behaviours. Of those that purchased loot boxes before the age of 15, 87% displayed risky gambling behaviours as an adult. 

A package of reforms 

Denmark’s campaign comes in the same month as the Danish government announced a re-submission of an October 2025 bill that focused on gambling advertisements targeting minors. 

Other key policies involved not featuring anyone under 25 and a comprehensive prohibition on gambling ads during live sports broadcasts 

The industry hit back at the package of reforms with Morten Rønde, managing partner at Nordic Legal telling iGB at the time that he was “shell shocked”.