CAN study in Sweden: Gambling for money, a growing problem among young men

Mats Ramstedt

26.03.2026 - Many young men who gamble for money face an elevated risk of gambling problems or already show clear signs of problem gambling. This is shown in a new study from CAN, which is carried out every four years.

The results have now been released from Sweden’s most comprehensive survey on the use of alcohol, narcotics, doping substances, tobacco, and gambling for money among adults.

The study shows that many young men who gamble either already have gambling problems or are at risk of developing them.

“Almost one in five men aged 18 to 29 either have gambling problems or are at risk of developing them. That is almost twice as many as in 2021,” says Mats Ramstedt, head of research at CAN and editor of the report.

The survey also offers a unique insight into drug use and the extent of dependence in the population.

“Here we see that overall drug use is decreasing, especially among young adults and women,” says Mats Ramstedt.

The share of the population with at least mild drug dependence has also fallen since the previous measurement, from 1.8 to 1.2 percent. The decrease is seen mainly among women and is in line with the reduced level of use.

Both drug use and drug dependence are more common among young adults and men.

“Four percent of men aged 18 to 29 show some symptom of drug dependence. That corresponds to one in four of those who have used drugs,” says Mats Ramstedt.

Young adults are also the age group with the highest share of alcohol dependence. In the population as a whole, 10 percent have at least mild alcohol dependence, while the figure is 20 percent among young adults. Unlike in other age groups, there is no gender difference here, alcohol dependence is equally common among young women and men.

The report also compares dependence linked to different types of tobacco. It shows that dependence on snus is perceived as stronger than dependence on cigarettes.

“We cannot, however, see that white snus is more addictive than brown snus,” says Mats Ramstedt.

The study used the PGSI scale (Problem Gambling Severity Index), one of the most widely used scientific tools for measuring gambling problems in population surveys.

In total, more than 45,000 people took part in the study, which measures the use of these substances and the extent of gambling. The survey also provides a picture of how widespread alcohol and drug dependence are in the population, which makes it unique.

One of the strengths of the study is that it has been carried out repeatedly since 2013, making it possible to track changes over time.

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Source: CAN