Authors

• Ministry of Social Affairs and Health

Keywords

adolescents, friends, gambling, gaming machines, legal age, lotteries, supervision, youth

Abstract

The study charted how well the gambling age limit (15 years) was controlled in various Finnish establishments that offer gambling activities. The term gambling is used here as an umbrella term for lotteries, slot machines, and betting pools. The respondents were mystery shoppers, who were instructed to play a certain gambling game at a certain establishment, after which they responded to a set of questions. Some questions pertained to whether the staff in the establishment had asked about their age or had not allowed them to gamble. If the respondents had not been allowed to gamble, they were asked who had intervened first and who had forbidden them from gambling.

Further questions covered the age structure of the group with which the respondents had gambled and the number of other gamblers at the establishment. The respondents gave their opinions on whether there had been other people gambling who had been or seemed to be under 15 years old and whether these people had gambled without adult company, had been asked about their age or had not been allowed to gamble. Finally, the respondents were asked whether the gambling area was within the sight of the staff of the establishment.

Background variables included respondent's age, gender, time and date of test shopping, and region (NUTS3) and province of gambling venue.