The market research company Vilmorus surveyed 1,000 Lithuanian residents aged 18 years and under on the topic of gambling and lotteries on 19-26 November 2022. The survey was carried out among 46% of men and 54% of women. A similar survey of the Lithuanian population is carried out every year.
The survey revealed that 12% of the Lithuanian population had gambled, while 10% of the population had tried gambling in the 2021 survey. As in 2021, younger men (aged 30-39) are more likely to have gambled.
Although remote gambling is easier to access and is growing in popularity in Europe, the survey results show not only that individuals in Lithuania prefer slot parlours (where 42% of respondents reported gambling), but also that the most frequent place to try it for the first time is in a slot parlour, where 38% of the respondents reported gambling.
The most popular gambling experience was at a gambling parlour (28% in 2021), followed by online gambling at 19% (24% in 2021), gambling in a casino (18% in 2021), and at a betting shop (16% in 2021, 17%). Spending per visit to a gambling venue or online gambling is mostly up to €20 (the same trend as in the previous years – 2019-2021).
WOULD LIKE TO SEE GAMBLING ADVERTISING DISAPPEAR
78% of respondents indicated that gambling advertising has a moderate or very strong influence on a person’s decision to gamble (the same figure as last year – 78%). There are more opponents than supporters of advertising across all socio-demographic groups.
There is also a decrease in the number of people who have no opinion on gambling advertising. In this year’s survey, the percentage of those with no opinion was 11% (17% in 2021, 18% in 2020 and 22% in 2019).
There is also a growing number of people who say there could be no or less gambling advertising, with an absolute majority of 83% (73% of respondents in 2019, 76% in 2020, 75% in 2021 and 76% in 2020). More than half of the respondents – 56% – said that gambling advertising should be banned, compared to 49% in 2021.
It is clear that gambling advertising has a significant impact on people’s choices.
The survey also shows that there is a growing number of respondents who think that the supply of gambling is too high, with 44% of respondents saying so, 38% in 2021 and 35% in 2020.
SOCIAL ADVERTISING IS RELEVANT TO MANY
In response to public demand for more information on problem gambling, psychologists from the Gambling Supervisory Authority gave 11 lectures on problem gambling in 2022. The traditional lectures for students of Vilnius University, Vilnius College and Mykolas Romeris University continued.
Last year, there was also interest from gambling operators, so some of the lectures were presented to the staff of several gambling operators.
Social advertising remains one of the most important ways of informing the public about the dangers of gambling. The Gambling Supervisory Authority is pleased to cooperate with the Design Department of the Vilnius Academy of Arts, whose students presented a series of new social advertising posters. Some of them will be displayed in Lithuania’s major cities, as they are every year.
Two new social advertising videos have also been created and will soon be broadcast on Lithuanian National Radio and Television.
As gambling is one of the most addictive leisure activities, the Register of Restricted Gamblers is currently one of the most effective tools to help people with gambling problems.
MOST APPLICATIONS ARE FROM MEN
The survey revealed that the number of people who know that a person who gambles can apply to be excluded from gambling venues is also growing (up 7% year-on-year), with a majority of 70% (63% in 2021, 68% in 2020 and 66% in 2019). Younger, more highly educated residents of large cities are more likely to know this.
In 2022, the Gambling Supervisory Authority received 11 388 requests from persons to restrict their access to gambling, i.e. 31 requests per day, an increase of 55% compared to 2021 (20 requests per day).
The vast majority of the requests to restrict gambling, 86%, were made by men and 14% by women (this compares with a ratio of 94% men and 6% women in 2021).
The majority of applicants are aged between 18 and 40 (89%), which compares with 90% in 2021.
53% of respondents have seen or heard social advertising about gambling aimed at reducing the negative effects of gambling, up from 50% in 2021. The highest percentage of people with a higher education level, 65%, have seen or heard social advertising.
The majority of respondents – 58% – think that social advertising about gambling is relevant, up from 49% in 2021.
AN IMPORTANT AREA OF ACTIVITY
The survey also showed that more and more Lithuanians understand that the gambling business is important for the national economy (taxes paid to the state budget, creation of jobs, etc.), with as many as 60% of respondents believing that it is somewhat or very important (55% in 2021), compared with 22% who had no opinion on the matter.
According to the Gambling Supervisory Authority, in the first 11 months of 2022, gambling and lottery organisers paid €40,826,200 in lottery and gaming tax to the state budget. Compared to 11 months of 2021, this represents an increase of €17.3 million (€23,503,500 in 11 months of 2021).
These changes are due to changes in the levels of the lottery and gaming levy and to the increasing performance of lottery and gaming operators following the pandemic. In addition, in the first half of 2022, the organisers of the major lotteries contributed EUR 5 306 034 in support of the requirement of the Law on Lotteries of the Republic of Lithuania in force.
MOST INFORMATION FROM TELEVISION
The results of the survey show that the number of respondents who are aware of the Gambling Supervision Authority and its functions is increasing: in 2022, 50% of respondents indicated that they were aware of the Gambling Supervision Authority (46% in 2021, 47% in 2020), compared to 56% of respondents who indicated that they were aware of the State Inspectorate for Data Protection.
Over half of the respondents (59%) know what the Gambling Supervision Authority does, which is significantly higher than the 48% in 2019. In 2022, the majority of such persons were 88%, compared to 84% in 2021 and 49% in 2020.
The majority of respondents find out about the Gambling Supervisory Authority on television 44% and on the internet 33% (47% among young people). Compared to last year, the number of people who get information about the Gambling Supervisory Authority from social networks is increasing: 17% in 2022, 13% in 2021 and 13% in 2020.
BLURRED CHANGES IN LOTTERIES
In 2021, 47% of respondents reported participating in lotteries, compared to 49% in 2021. In contrast to gambling, participation in lotteries is higher among older people (50-59 years) in district centres and rural areas (53%).
Although lotteries, like gambling, are also organised online, the vast majority of those who participate in lotteries, 88%, buy their tickets in a shop, spending between €1 and €5 per purchase (73% of respondents), as will be the case again in 2021 or 2020.
As in 2021, the 2022 survey shows that 39% think that participation in a lottery can be addictive and 46% think it cannot be addictive.
76% of respondents indicated that lottery advertising has a moderate or very strong influence on a person’s decision to buy lottery tickets. The same opinion was shared by 72% of respondents in 2021.