Fresh data from Casinofeber.se’s annual consumer survey reveals something striking: one in five Swedish gamblers report a history of mental health diagnoses. The findings really do challenge some basic assumptions about who engages with casino and betting markets, and they underscore just how complex player demographics actually are.

The Headline Numbers

The CasinoTempen 2025 survey tracked trends first examined in 2024, and the results are worth attention. Approximately one in five Swedish gambling players report a lifetime mental health diagnosis. Among casino players, that figure sits at 21%, while betting players report 19%. The remainder either reported no diagnosis or declined to answer, with response rates broadly consistent across both player segments.

Gender and Age Emerge as Key Differentiators

Here’s where things get interesting. Women are substantially more likely than men to report mental health diagnoses across all age groups surveyed. Overall, 29% of female respondents compared with just 13% of male respondents reported a diagnosis history.

The gap widens dramatically among younger players. Within the 18 to 26 age bracket, 34% of women reported a mental health diagnosis against 13% of men in the same cohort. Among players aged 41 to 50, the differential narrows considerably. Then we’re talking 20% of women and 17% of men reporting diagnoses.

Young female players emerge as the demographic most likely to report mental health challenges within the survey sample.

Self-Exclusion Patterns Show Divergent Trends

Perhaps most intriguingly, self-exclusion behaviour appears to be evolving differently across betting and casino populations. Among betting players who have used Sweden’s Spelpaus self-exclusion system, reports of mental health diagnoses climbed from 28% in 2024 to 35% in 2025. That’s a seven percentage point increase within a single year.

Casino players using Spelpaus moved in the opposite direction. The proportion reporting diagnoses fell from 32% in 2024 to 26% in 2025. The survey doesn’t explore the underlying causes of these shifts, but the divergence suggests that mental health and self-exclusion dynamics may be playing out quite differently between betting and casino audiences.

Spending and Frequency Show Modest Connections

When examining monthly expenditure, the survey found only modest differences between players reporting mental health diagnoses and those who do not. Among betting players with a diagnosis, 41% spend between 1 and 99 SEK monthly, compared with 34% of undiagnosed players. Higher spending brackets showed slightly elevated proportions among diagnosed players, but honestly, the differences remain relatively small.

Gambling frequency tells a subtly different story. Among betting players with a mental health diagnosis, 29% gamble approximately once monthly, versus 21% of those without a diagnosis. Weekly gambling is more common among players without reported diagnoses, though, at 27% versus 14%. Daily or near-daily play remains relatively uncommon in both groups, though marginally higher among diagnosed players at 8% versus 6%.

Casino players display similar patterns in both spending and frequency, though the differences prove less pronounced overall.

What the Data Actually Tells Us

The CasinoTempen findings paint a complex picture. Demographic characteristics, particularly gender and age, emerge as far stronger correlates than spending behaviour or frequency of play. Mental health status alone, frankly, is not a reliable predictor of gambling intensity. The absence of dramatic differences in how much diagnosed and undiagnosed players wager makes that clear.

The divergent self-exclusion trends between betting and casino players warrant closer attention from operators and regulators alike. These shifts may reflect genuine changes in player behaviour or the evolution of how different audiences approach problem gambling controls. We’ll see what comes next.