Online gambling addiction increasingly affects younger people in Carinthia
Sunday 23rd August 2026 on 17:15 in
Austria
Online casinos and sports betting are driving gambling addiction among increasingly younger people in Carinthia, according to ORF. Gambling advisers estimate that about 5,000 people in the Austrian state are affected.
Petra Hinteregger of the S.u.S gambling counselling centre in Klagenfurt said the so-called “small gambling” market drove many people into addiction about 10 years ago. Today, sports betting and online casinos offer new opportunities to gamble around the clock.
Those seeking help are now often only 18 to 20 years old, Hinteregger said, with many already carrying debts of tens of thousands of euros. She also said age checks and access restrictions on online platforms do not always work sufficiently.
Legal gambling in Austria is permitted from the age of 18. However, in her experience, people who want to gamble can usually find a way to do so, Hinteregger said.
Influencers promote gambling to young audiences
Gambling is increasingly becoming an issue for minors as well. Numerous influencers promote online casinos on social media and video platforms, sometimes offering discounts to new customers.
Hinteregger said young people could view these internet personalities as role models, while their content conveyed a problematic image of making money quickly. Influencers can earn income through lucrative advertising contracts and large audiences, including views, likes and comments that may lead to purchases, she said.
Some influencers also gamble with large sums of money to attract attention, creating an unrealistic picture of gambling, Hinteregger said. Their content can make it appear that wins are far more common than they really are.
Call for greater media literacy
Hinteregger said targeted education and stronger media literacy were needed to better protect young people from the risks of online gambling. They should learn to question social media content critically and assess claims about success and winnings more realistically.