Poker one of Safest Gambling Games According to Norwegian Academics

Poker one of Safest Gambling Games According to Norwegian Academics

Wednesday, 21 May 2014

A study on the effects of problem gambling in Norway has shown that poker is a low risk activity when it comes to addiction. Published by the Norwegian Lotteries and Gambling Authority and picked up by Pokerfuse, the report gathered 10,000 responses and concluded that problem gaming across the country had been reduced.

In terms of poker it was found that only 4.7% of those who responded had played an online version of the game. Moreover, only 0.2% of that sample had engaged in larger wagers ($4,600+) in the last 12 months.

On top of this relatively low participation rate, the study, conducted by the University of Bergen, suggested that online poker's "risk factor" was also low.

Using the Canadian Problem Gambling Index - a questionnaire designed to assess the potential of someone's propensity to become addicted to a certain game - researchers discovered that online poker scored 1.09 out of 10.
In comparison to bingo (8.33) and online bingo (7.14), that score was significantly lower and a good marker that online poker doesn't pose a risk to problem gamblers.

Overall the survey is certainly another positive step forward for online poker in Norway and the industry as a whole.



Tags: Problem gambling, Norway