Gambling problems in Swedish football
There is a lot of gambling addiction among Swedish football players. The fact is that it also seems to be an increasingly large problem, which worries many, not least former gambling addicts like Tobias Eriksson . In this article, we go through a bit of what it looks like with gambling addiction in Swedish football and how you can prevent yourself from ending up in such an addiction.
Every tenth player has problems
According to a survey conducted by the Karolinska Institute, it is suspected that more than one in ten soccer players in Sweden has a gambling addiction. The figure landed at twelve percent and another twelve percent who are in the risk zone of developing a gambling addiction.
There is a marked difference when compared with the figure for all Swedish men in general, where the figure is only 4% and where only 9% are in the risk zone of ending up in a gambling addiction.
According to former addict Tobias, it's not surprising and he also has some theories as to why so many footballers have problems with this. He suspects that it is connected to some extent to the fact that younger people have grown up with mobile phones and tablets, which makes them more comfortable with, among other things, game apps. But he also suspects that competing in football has something to do with it, because you look for that feeling even in your free time.
That's how you work with it
Fortunately, we are already doing what we can to reduce the problem. Among other things, this is done by training football clubs in how to prevent it and how to work with it. It has so far been shown to have some positive effects, but it is not yet known whether this is enough to actually significantly reduce the number. If you want to make bet at football in Sweden, then follow https://bastaspelbolagutanlicens.com/betting-med-swish/.
The training comes from a collaboration between Svenska Spel, Swedish Elite Soccer and Elite Soccer Ladies. Among other things, educational tours have been held where the goal is to educate players and the staff involved in the clubs. Among other things, they educate about how gambling addiction can lead to match-fixing in the long run, another big problem in Swedish football.
Among other things, a gambling addict can have financial problems and that, combined with the desire to win, can lead to people becoming more interested in helping an international league fix a match. It is also possible to blackmail players with an addiction because there is a lot of shame attached to this.
That's how you can run into it
It is possible to fall into a gambling addiction regardless of where you are or who you are. However, it is quite easy today to prevent it and other authorities and companies can also help you. A good example of this is on sites dealing with odds and casino games. Today, these often offer some form of help for potential addicts.
Among other things, it offers self-exclusion where you can exclude yourself from gaming sites. You can also get tips and advice for this. So it is important to check this when choosing which site to play on. To do that, you should compare different sites before choosing one. You can learn more about casinos here.
Anyone who plays can generally fall into a gambling addiction and, as I said, it's not very unusual either. Playing is fun and winning money on an exciting football match makes it even better. But precisely for this reason, you should be careful so that you do not fall into an addiction.
This is what you do if you suspect gambling addiction
If you suspect you have developed a gambling addiction, there are a number of things you can do. The first thing you should do is check whether you really have a gambling addiction, something you can do either yourself or through various organizations. There are many self-tests and you can also find these on serious gaming sites.
If you have an addiction, you can start by taking active steps that you can fix yourself. Among other things, this is where self-exclusion comes in. You should also contact someone for help with this, for example a psychologist or an aid organization that works with gambling addiction. That way, you can get the help you need and you know then that you are getting good help that will work.
If you suspect that someone else has a gambling addiction, it is not as simple. The first thing you should do is talk to the person, if they admit their addiction then that is a good first step. But you should also offer them support in that and get them to contact an expert. The important thing is that you don't make them feel ashamed of their gambling addiction, just as you wouldn't want to feel ashamed in such a situation.
Final words about gambling problems in Swedish football
Gambling problems are already frequent in football as it is, not just in Swedish football. As I said, it comes from many different reasons, but money is probably a significant reason. It also gives international leagues more room to move and gives them a greater grip on players and football in general.
Working with what is now being done in Sweden is a good first step. At the same time, it is not certain that it will be enough, as the numbers do not show a reduction. In the long run, it could damage football, which would be an incredible shame. It is therefore very important that you continue to develop new methods and strategies around how you intend to combat gambling addiction.
It could end up going so far that football clubs have to go the extra mile to prevent it. In other countries, it has been discussed, among other things, to completely ban athletes from dealing with betting and gambling during their active career. It can actually be an effective tool, but at the same time it is not certain that it is the right way to go. It will also further limit the freedoms of the players so it can lead to worse morale and general dissatisfaction. We simply have to wait and see what is done in the future to prevent gambling addiction from becoming an even bigger problem.