Denmark’s ROFUS Self-Exclusion System Extends to Land-Based Venues

Seeking to protect consumers from excessive gambling and to ensure underage individuals cannot access land-based gambling locations, Denmark implemented a customized player ID. The announcement came from Spillemyndigheden, the Danish gambling regulator, who recently confirmed the aforementioned change is in effect as of October 1, 2023. In addition to the ramped-up protection with the player ID, the gambling watchdog announced the expansion of its register of self-excluded persons, ROFUS.

Considering the implementation of the player ID, Spillemyndigheden said on Friday, that starting from October 1, ROFUS will be extended to cover betting via physical locations. The gambling regulator confirmed that new registrations created on and after October 1, will benefit from the enhanced blocking capability.

In other words, users who register with ROFUS from now on, or renew their registration, will benefit from blocking bets via physical casinos across Denmark. Additionally, under the previous rules for protection, such users would be excluded from online games offered by operators that hold a Danish license and will be excluded from advertising for such operations. The block on physical wagers extends not only to casinos but also to betting shops and kiosks, ensuring robust protection for the gamblers registered with ROFUS.

“If you are registered with ROFUS before 1 October  2023 and do not renew your registration, the exclusion will remain unchanged. You will still only be blocked from online gambling offered by gambling operators with a Danish license, physical casinos in Denmark and from receiving direct advertising from these,“

reads a statement released by Spillemyndigheden

The Danish Regulator Remains Vigilant

The implementation of the mandatory player ID for the physical gambling sector in Denmark was agreed politically back in November 2019. Ultimately, the measure seeks to enhance player protection and reduce the chance of people under the age of 18 accessing betting shops or casinos. Moreover, player ID is also expected to help in the combat against gambling-related crimes, including money laundering and match-fixing, among others.

There’s no doubt about the benefits of player ID, however, its primary goal remains to prevent self-excluded or problem gamblers from betting via land-based gambling locations. This otherwise means that the extension of ROFUS to the physical casino sector doesn’t come as a surprise, considering its goal to block the access of self-excluded individuals to gambling activities.

Back in August, Spillemyndigheden announced it blocked access to nearly 50 illegal gambling websites. Since the country’s liberalization of the market, dating back to 2012, the regulator has been constantly monitoring and blocking illegal offerings in the country. Adding 49 websites to the list of blocked illegal gambling websites, the total number increased to 276.