– At the bottom it is so pitch dark. Filled with horror, anxiety and a lot of shame, says Walseth. It started with games and gambling during my studies. After the saved funds were used up, a money gallop followed with new credit cards and eventually consumer loans to refinance old fun. At worst, he lost 100,000 a month. It ended with 1.6 million in debt. He was at his lowest when he was going to his father’s birthday in 2017 and couldn’t afford a present. It said stop. He broke down in front of his then girlfriend. Cheers In 2019, Norway had 55,000 gambling addicts. Many experts feared it would get worse. Among other things, because Gambling Addiction Norway had an increase in inquiries during the pandemic. CHEERING: Magnus Pedersen, political spokesperson for Gambling Addiction Norway. Photo: Privat Then it turns out that the number of gambling addicts has more than halved to 23,000. – It was a pleasant shock. This is fantastic news, says Magnus Pedersen in Gambling Addiction Norway. The report has been prepared by the University of Bergen on behalf of the Lotteries and Foundations Authority. Pedersen believes that now we must push on. – This means that we have finally managed to reverse this trend. Now we are going in the right direction, he exults. IN CONTROL: After many years of dark thoughts and difficult times, Ole-Alexander now has control over the finances. Photo: Anders Haualand / news It took ten years Ole-Alexander Walseth kept at it for ten years before he reached rock bottom. Then he got help from friends and family and eventually joined Luksusfellen. He is still not out of debt, but now it is manageable. In 2019, gambling addiction was adopted by the World Health Organization (WHO) as an official diagnosis. Walseth believes that openness has been absolutely crucial to his not having a relapse. – It has been alpha and omega. All my colleagues, friends and everyone around me have known. It makes it so much easier, he says. Still many with problems In addition to the 23,000 problem gamblers we have in Norway, 93,000 are considered moderate risk gamblers. After a long time, the arrows are finally pointing in the right direction. And it is probably not one thing that is the reason, but many small ones. – It is incredibly good news that the trend has reversed. It shows that what we do works, says Henrik Nordal, department director for gambling at the Lotteries and Foundations Authority. REVERSING THE TREND: Henrik Nordal, department director for gambling in the Lotteries and Foundations Authority, is satisfied with the sharp decline. Photo: Dagrun Reiakvam / Lotteries and Foundations Authority The sum is decisive He points to a ban on advertising for illegal gambling companies as important. The banks have also made it difficult to deposit and withdraw money from them. The debt register has also had a lot to say. This has made it more difficult to obtain a lot of consumer loans. – It is the sum that has made us successful, says Nordal. This is how the survey was conducted: A total of 30,000 people (gross sample) aged 16-74, randomly drawn from the Population Register, were invited to participate. Half were first invited to answer online, while the other half could also initially choose between answering online or on paper. Up to two reminders were sent always containing a paper-based questionnaire. A total of 7,386 valid responses were received. After people with incorrect addresses, the sick, the dead and people abroad etc. were removed from the gross sample, this resulted in a response rate of 26.0%. A total of 61.8% had participated in gambling during the last 12 months, which represented a small but significant decrease from the previous population survey conducted in 2019. The Norwegian Lottery Authority is still considering several measures. Among other things, they want to cut the marketing budget for Norsk Tipping by more than NOK 60 million. In addition, changes in the loss limit at Norsk Tipping, which is currently 20,000 per month, are continuously being considered. Or 240,000 a year. – It must be low enough to limit the damage without losing players to illegal gambling companies abroad, says Nordal. Not just for himself Ole-Alexander’s openness is not just to help himself. He hopes that he can help others too. Gambling addiction is still difficult to talk about and extremely shameful. – Since I came forward for the first time, many people have contacted me. Who have shared and asked for advice. It has done me good to help, he says. WILL HELP: Ole-Alexander Walseth has shared openly. It has been decisive. Photo: Anders Haualand / news When asked if he feels bitter towards banks that offered him increased credit limits or if he is angry with himself for the choices he made, he is clear. – What has happened, has happened. Now I try to look ahead. Moving forward towards a future without gambling debt. Hi!Thanks for reading all the way to the bottom. Have you struggled with gambling? What was it like to quit? I would love to hear from you.
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Norway has halved the number of gambling addicts – news Oslo and Viken – Local news, TV and radio
