A court in Denmark has granted permission for the country’s regulator to block 79 unlicensed gambling sites. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

Gambling sites blocked

The Danish Gambling Authority (DGA), has blocked 79 unauthorized gambling sites. The sites in question range from unlicensed offshore casinos and sports betting operators to skin betting platforms that targeted children and young adults playing online video games.

The decision to block sites is ultimately made by a court in Frederiksburg, which granted the DGA’s request for the blocks – its second batch this year.

There are now 438 gambling websites in total which Danes are blocked from accessing.

The DGA has now blocked a total of 162 websites in 2024, the most in a single year since it began banning sites in 2012. There are now 438 gambling websites in total which Danes are blocked from accessing.

Denmark’s youth gambling problem

Skin gambling, where online video gamers use in-game items as virtual currencies to gamble on the outcome of matches, has been a particular cause of concern for the regulator due to its accessibility to underage gamers. Roblox, which uses the in-game currency Robux, was specifically mentioned as a problem.

“We pay particular attention to this new type of site. Roblox is a game that is very popular among children and young people under the age of 18,” said DGA chief Anders Dorph.

“Our children should not be introduced to gambling when they play video games, so I am very pleased that we have blocked access to these sites.”

Gambling among young adults has been a growing problem in Denmark in recent years. The national gambling helpline StopSpillet had 41% of its calls come from people aged 25 or under since 2019. In addition, the self-exclusion register ROFUS reported the same percentage of its users were under 30.

Danish ISPs on board

Users will be denied access to the sites by means of a DNS block, put in place by all Danish internet providers which are part of the Teleindustrien trade group. In the latest round of blocks, an additional three providers also volunteered to take part.

visitors to the page are informed that the site is illegal and does not have a license

In addition to blocking the sites, the DGA also provides an extensive warning to any users trying to access them. Visitors to the page are informed that the site is illegal and does not have a license or any other safeguards in place, in an attempt to discourage people from using VPNs or other software to circumvent the block.

“We know that some players will try to bypass the DNS blocks. Therefore, it is very important to us that the information you come across is clear and makes the players aware that they are trying to access a site without a licence. These sites do not have the same level of consumer protection and it can be very risky for a player to use them,” said Dorph.