The vision of the Danish Problem Gambling Committee is to create a strong, professional Danish research environment focused on gambling addiction and problematic gambling behavior.
The mission is to fund high-quality research projects that can create value both in Denmark and internationally, including by improving the understanding of the mechanisms underlying gambling addiction, effective treatment methods, and well-designed prevention initiatives.
The prevalence of problematic gambling behavior and gambling addiction has been increasing in Danish society, both among adults and among children and young people. This increase has occurred alongside major transformations in the gambling market, which has been both liberalized and extensively digitalized over recent years. The development is happening rapidly and has, among other things, made gambling more accessible and visible in society than ever before. As a consequence, there is growing concern among many about the implications of this trend.
The Danish gambling market is considered one of the most well-regulated in the world. It is therefore paradoxical that Denmark has no tradition of gambling addiction research and has had very low research output compared to other Scandinavian countries. The risk that the acquisition of new knowledge in this area does not keep pace with the development of the gambling market is therefore high. This may potentially hinder the development of new and improved prevention strategies and treatment methods, as well as the proper regulation of the gambling market.
With the Danish Problem Gambling Committee, a united strategic effort is being initiated for the first time to promote the development of a healthy research environment focused on gambling addiction in Denmark. With financial support from a number of gambling companies and participation from the country’s largest research institutions, support will be provided to the best and most valuable research projects. The Danish Problem Gambling Committee will promote cross-institutional and cross-sectoral collaboration, knowledge sharing, and establish proper conditions for the next generation of researchers in the field. A common thread in this work is transparency and maintaining arm’s-length relationships to ensure the quality and independence of the research projects being funded.
"With the Danish Problem Gambling Committee, one of our main goals is to create strong support structures for the next generation of researchers. Better opportunities to carry out research projects, funding for PhD projects, mentoring programs, and strengthening professional networks are some of the initiatives that will help us achieve this goal."
Jørgen Frøkiær, chairman for the Danish Problem Gambling Committee