Slovak regulator widens responsible gambling education push
The Slovak Gambling Regulatory Authority (ÚRHH) has expanded its cooperation with the academic sector after entering into a new strategic partnership with the Faculty of Arts at Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice. The agreement marks the Authority’s third strategic partnership with a university in Slovakia and extends its prevention-focused work to the eastern part of the country. It follows earlier cooperation with the Faculty of Education at Trnava University in Trnava and the Faculty of Social Sciences and Health Care at Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra.
The Authority’s latest partnership forms part of its broader effort to support responsible gambling education, strengthen prevention, and improve awareness of gambling-related risks among young people and the professionals who work with them.
Authority points to growing overlap between gaming and gambling
In response to questions from SiGMA News, the ÚRHH commented that this decision to deepen cooperation with universities comes at a time when young people are increasingly exposed to gambling-like content in digital environments. According to the Authority, one of its key missions is “to protect vulnerable groups and minors from the negative effects of gambling”. This mission has become more complex in recent years, particularly as the boundaries between online entertainment and gambling have become harder to recognise.
“In recent years, we have observed an increasingly significant overlap between online gaming and gambling, making it more difficult for young people to distinguish between digital entertainment and gambling,” the Authority commented. This concern is central to the Authority’s education and prevention strategy. Rather than focusing solely on gambling products, the regulator is also examining the broader digital environment where young people spend time, including social media, mobile apps, video games, and other online platforms.
According to the ÚRHH, the growing overlap between online gaming and gambling has prompted the regulator to strengthen its prevention and education activities, with a particular focus on developing critical thinking and helping young people identify gambling-related risks.
Young people and the digital era
Focusing on Gen Z and Gen Alpha is fundamental to understanding the way these generations experience digital life. As iGaming highly depends on digital trends, it is easier for young people to encounter gambling-related messages through social media, influencer marketing, online games, or apps that use entertainment-style design. “Young people’s attitudes are significantly shaped by content on social media, including influencers who promote gambling, often creating the impression that gambling is safe, entertaining, and even appealing,” the Authority explained.
The regulator also pointed to the growing use of gamification in the gambling sector. Sports betting apps and online casinos often use visual features, rewards, animations, and gameplay-style mechanics similar to those found in video games. This can influence young users and make gambling appear more like an ordinary way of digital entertainment. It may lead them to see gambling-style mechanics as a normal part of digital entertainment before they fully understand the possible consequences. For this reason, the regulator emphasised the importance of highlighting how such an environment can gradually shape young people’s understanding of chance, risk, and financial loss.
Loot boxes and random rewards remain a concern
Alongside online betting and casino products, the Authority said it is also paying attention to gambling-like mechanisms in video games, including loot boxes and other random reward systems. These features do not always qualify as gambling from a legal perspective. However, they can still influence how youngsters relate to chance-based rewards and risk-taking behaviour. “Although not all of these qualify as gambling from a legal perspective, they can shape young people’s positive attitudes towards risk-taking behaviour based on chance.”
This concern helps explain why the Slovak regulator is focusing on education and prevention rather than only regulation. The issue is not limited to whether a specific product falls within the legal definition of gambling, but also whether young people are being exposed to habits, messages, and mechanics that may normalise risk-based behaviour.
Impact expected over the long term
Asked how it will measure the concrete impact of its academic partnerships, the Authority told SiGMA News that the results should be understood as long-term in nature. The benefits of cooperation with universities will become clearer as future educators and professionals become better prepared to address behavioural addictions and promote responsible gambling.
The ÚRHH added that university cooperation is one of the pillars of its broader prevention and education strategy. Its full impact should be assessed alongside other ongoing activities aimed at strengthening awareness, critical thinking, and the protecting young people from gambling-related risks. “We see the impact of our academic partnerships primarily as a long-term one. The benefits will gradually become evident through future educators and professionals being better equipped to address the prevention of behavioural addictions and promote responsible gambling.”
With its latest partnership in Košice, the Gambling Regulatory Authority is extending that strategy further across Slovakia. The agreement reflects a broader shift in responsible gambling, with the aim of prevention increasingly linked not only to gambling operators and players but also to schools, universities, and the digital environments that shape young people’s behaviour.
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