Gambling type preferences, psychological distress and hazardous alcohol use among young Finns

Background: Adolescence and early adulthood are periods of heightened vulnerability to gambling harm, financial strain, and mental health problems. Although overall gambling participation has declined among young people in Finland, those aged 20–29 remain overrepresented among individuals experiencing at-risk or problem gambling.Methods: This study uses combined data from the nationally representative Finnish Gambling 2019 and 2023 surveys (2019: N = 3,994; 2023: N = 5,977) to examine gambling behavior among younger respondents. Latent class analysis (LCA) was conducted separately for all respondents and those under age 30 to identify subgroups based on patterns of gambling-type engagement.Results: Among participants under 30, a four-class solution emerged. ‘Mainstreamers’ (36.6%) typically played scratch cards, weekly lotteries, and electronic gaming machines (EGMs). ‘Young omnivores’ (21.5%) engaged in multiple product types and showed associations with at-risk/problem gambling (OR 6.49), hazardous alcohol use (OR 2.00), and a lower likelihood of being female (OR 0.05). ‘Midstreamers’ (22.0%) mainly played scratch cards and EGMs and showed no elevated risk indicators. ‘Moderate mixed’ (19.9%) engaged moderately in EGMs, offshore, and private gambling and were associated with hazardous alcohol use (OR 2.60).Conclusions: These findings demonstrate distinct gambling profiles among young adults and highlight the need for targeted prevention and intervention strategies.