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In a series of articles, SportExpress acknowledges the widespread problem of game abuse in Swedish ice hockey.
The problem that few dare to speak well about.
“There is a high degree of stigma around admitting loss of control,” says Maria Vinberg, a researcher at the Karolinska Institute.
It was Vinberg who published the first report in the fall of 2017 (Games about money in the world of sports.) about gambling addiction in team sports in Sweden. In 2019, the in-depth follow-up study (Money games in men’s sport at the elite level: part of everyday life?)
The conclusions are clear:
* It is played for a lot of money among team athletes.
* Only boys and men are responsible for the game.
* It is played to a much higher degree among children in sports gyms than among those who attend other universities.
The researcher: “Surprise me if it has decreased”
But despite the fact that some time has passed since the first alarming report, Maria Vinberg feels very little has happened.
– I was hopeful after we released the first report, I still felt you were taking it seriously. And I know there are some clubs and some people who do a fantastic job and get involved.
– But I don’t think the special unions do enough. On long roads.
You came to the conclusion that 4-5 players on each team have game problems in 2017. What do you think that figure is today, three years later?
– I would be surprised if the problem decreased.
Therefore, in the SportExpressen series of articles, we have chosen to focus especially on game problems in Swedish ice hockey.
And Erik Zachrisson, general secretary of the Sico players’ organization, confirms the image of a serious situation.
– There is no action plan on how ice hockey clubs should handle this. Because if you look at the numbers, they don’t reflect the rest of society.
– We are well above average in our industry.
How serious are you in this?
– Along with concussions and mental illness, gambling addiction is our biggest problem, says Zachrisson.
– In general, we say that it is a fifth in each team. But the darkness is great.
Crowning time: problems can increase
The special time in which we are currently, with a more or less subdued sports activity, can also exacerbate the situation.
– Yes, we are concerned that the problem may increase now. The effects of the crown mean that many people have more time to fill up. As with the game.
Erik Zachrisson says that at Sico they have long worked to help hockey players who developed a gambling addiction.
– It often starts with a call from a person asking us to speak to a teammate who they think is having a game problem.
– So we have helped a number. And it always happens in silence.
How is the reaction usually when you make contact?
– They often stagnate a bit, he says at the beginning: “Why do you call me? I have no problems“So it is with gambling, it is a disease of self-denial.
– But then we talk and explain what different forms of help we can offer from Sico.
Both Erik Zachrisson and Maria Vinberg agree on two measures that should be implemented immediately to reduce abuse of the game.
1) A clear set of rules against the game.
– I don’t think you can expect every club to solve the problem. Today, players also constantly move between different clubs. Each union is required to make regulations, says Maria Vinberg.
What can be included in it?
– That the workplace means, for example, the player’s bus and the locker room. And that shouldn’t be played on money.
Erik Zachrisson de Sico agrees:
– Yes, you have to go. This has become so natural. But you’re not a fan, you sit and talk games to the extent that you do hockey at other workplaces.
Zachrisson believes that clubs should put their feet on the ground.
– This is a high performance industry where you want to win matches. But it is only when the game has gone so far that the person performs poorly on the ice that those responsible begin to listen and absorb.
– And that is quite scary.
2) Stop advertising play with active athletes.
Maria Vinberg is clear on this point:
– I don’t think you should be allowed to advertise games with active athletes. They shouldn’t even have to think about the possibility.
You mean it should be totally banned?
– Yes, one of the reasons why games have become so standardized is that even our great idols go out and say: Do it!
– And of course it has an impact. There are several that we interviewed.
Sico Base: “We have seen the back”
Erik Zachrisson also believes that in hockey, everyday life with constantly present game advertising is very special.
– It’s a great question considering that indirectly our a-l-l-a is, in general, advertising our players to gaming companies.
– If you look at where the money comes from, the ice hockey association has Svenska Spel as its sponsor, SHL has Betsson, Hockeyallsvenskan has Unibet and Hockeyettan has ATG.
Erik Zachrisson continues:
– We have players who individually say no, there is room for that in our collective agreement. But there is still advertising there on the ice.
What do you think of active athletes who choose to individually advertise different game companies?
– They are role models for many, and then you must ask yourself what does it give for rings in water.
Erik Zachrisson sighs before continuing.
– At Sico, we know that we have helped so many people who have big debts and feel very, very bad. We have seen the back of this.
– And then you understand.
SHL: “Taking it seriously”
Johan Hemlin is head of sports in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) and well aware of the problems with game abuse in Swedish ice hockey.
– We take this problem very seriously. We work quite closely with Sico on this issue.
How do you work on this?
– In concrete terms, we have made sure that former players Fredrik Svensson and Johan Andersson were able to travel and meet all the SHL clubs and talk about the abuse of the game, among other things.
But only five of the 14A teams wanted to hear them?
– The hockey gym was the main objective and focus. Then there were some schematic reasons and other things that didn’t fit with more teams.
Are you going to continue with this arrangement?
– Yes we should. But we still don’t know how. All the young people in the high schools they have met now. It may be U16 and all youth leaders next time, but we have not clearly discussed.
– We also have our rookie day where the two youngest of each SHL team participate. And there, the abuse of games is always one of the points.
Demand clearer and more central regulations: is it necessary?
– If there is a need for regulations, I do not want to establish, however, we need to learn to see and understand the warning signs.
– But I know that the Swedish Ice Hockey Federation is studying the subject. There is also an age limit involved in this: You should not play if you are under the age of 18.
SHL has the gaming company Betsson as its main sponsor. At the same time, gambling addiction is a problem for many active people. How do you think about it?
– We want to combat the abuse of the game in all its forms and help those who have had problems. The fact that a league has a gaming company as a partner means that we are not actively working against gaming abuse.
