Danish Gambling Authority launches campaign on gambling elements in children’s

Spillemyndigheden is using a film, fake casino shopfronts, and its StyrPåSpillet.dk platform to get parents looking beyond screen time.

The Danish Gambling Authority (Spillemyndigheden) launched a campaign on 26 October 2026 that asks parents to pay attention to what is inside the games their children play. Called ‘Kasino på børneværelset’ (‘Casino in the children’s room’), it focuses on the gambling elements that children and young people can come across in computer games.

Why the regulator is focusing on gaming

Many children and young people game as a normal part of everyday life, and several games contain mechanisms that can resemble gambling, according to the regulator. It wants parents to know what their children are playing and to talk about gaming at home.

Anders Dorph, director of the Danish Gambling Authority, said (translated from Danish):

‘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 children encounter when they game.’

A film, fake casino shopfronts, and an advice platform

The campaign is built around a short film in which a child’s bedroom turns into a casino. It runs on Meta, YouTube, TV2 Play, and Folkeskolen.dk.

Parents and professionals are also pointed to StyrPåSpillet.dk, one of the regulator’s own websites, which covers gaming, gambling elements, and gambling addiction, and gives advice on talking to children about it.

In three cities, Spillemyndigheden has decorated shopfronts to look like a new casino called ‘Casino Kids’ is about to open. The regulator said the facades are there to draw attention to the campaign and to remind parents to take an interest in their children’s games.

The posters borrow the language of casino advertising, with slogans such as ‘Spil for alle dine lommepenge’ (‘Play for all your pocket money’). The entrance, which carries the regulator’s logo, gives the real message: ‘Børn skal ikke gamble’ (‘Children should not gamble’).

Gambling advertising bill back in parliament

The campaign comes in the same month that Minister for Taxation and Growth Jakob Engel-Schmidt re-tabled the government’s gambling advertising bill on 7 October 2026. It is a re-submission, with minor adjustments, of bill L 127, which lapsed when Denmark held a general election in March 2026.

The bill puts into law parts of Spilpakke 1, the political agreement on a more responsible gambling market reached on 24 October 2025. Its advertising measures include:

• no gambling ads on TV and streaming from 10 minutes before to 10 minutes after live sports broadcasts
• no people under 25 and no authority figures in gambling ads
• no content that particularly appeals to children and young people
• a ban on gambling ads in selected physical locations
• penalties for anyone who breaks the marketing rules, including partners and influencers

The ban around live sport is set to take effect on 1 July 2027.

Sweden flagged loot boxes in 2025

Sweden’s gambling regulator, Spelinspektionen, raised similar concerns in a report to the government in January 2025. It found that more and more minors play video games with lottery-like features, such as loot boxes and skin gambling, and named this as one of the factors behind rising gambling among young people. Risky gambling among underage boys has risen since 2019, the report added.

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