At FDJ UNITED, responsible gaming has always been considered as going beyond simple messaging and self-exclusion tools. Effective prevention requires improving the risk awareness early on so that future customers can make informed choices and understand the potential risks.
A recognised gap is that minors and young adults often receive limited education about the risks gambling presents. In 2025, FDJ UNITED decided to address this by initiating a national school tour in Sweden, delivered by Spelfriheten, one of the country’s leading organisations working with gambling addiction and prevention. It is important to emphasise that FDJ UNITED is neither mentioned nor present in any communication at the schools.
Gaming and betting problems among elite athletes are well documented – particularly during injury periods when players have significant time on their hands. Yet, the topic had rarely been openly discussed inside clubs or locker rooms. This changed when FDJ UNITED commissioned Spelfriheten to deliver mandatory education sessions across all 32 clubs. Today, all players and clubs have received training, and a dedicated anonymous reporting line is available for anyone concerned about a teammate or themselves.
That collaboration evolved further when a 2024 report by Sweden’s Central Association for Alcohol and Drug Information revealed a worrying rise in gambling among young people. As a company strongly committed to preventing underage gambling and reducing harm among young adults, FDJ UNITED identified an opportunity to take action. In partnership with Spelfriheten, a national school tour was designed and funded by the Group, targeting students in Year 9 and upper secondary school.
The programme was deliberately designed not to feel like a lecture. Rather than delivering a top-down message, the sessions are crafted to engage teenagers, prompt genuine reflection, and build awareness of risk without moralising. By the end of 2025, Spelfriheten had visited around 30 schools across Sweden from north to south, reaching more than 3,000 students.
+ 30 schools
visited by Spelfriheten |
+ 3 000
students reached |
The data gathered at each school visit tells a clear story. Among underage respondents, roughly half of all boys reported having gambled for money – whether through loot boxes and skin betting in gaming environments, or via betting sites. Yet only 16% of all students surveyed had ever received any education about the risks of gambling. By comparison, 95% had received education about tobacco risks, and 98% about alcohol. The gap is striking.
Only 16%
of students have received education on gaming and betting risks |
These findings reinforce why industry-funded initiatives like this one matter – but they also highlight the limits of what any single company or organisation can do alone. Sweden’s licensed gambling industry contributes approximately SEK 5 billion in gambling tax each year. FDJ UNITED believes that a portion of these revenues should be systematically allocated to scaling up preventive education. The Group is actively advocating this position with policymakers, parliamentarians, and regulators, and encourages other industry stakeholders to join that conversation.
Prevention works best when it starts early, reaches young people in their own environments, and is sustained over time. This project is a step in that direction — but it needs to become the norm, not the exception.
