Old enough for a beer? Compliance with minimum legal age for alcohol purchases in monopoly and other off-premise outlets in Finland and Norway

ABSTRACT Aim To assess whether government monopoly outlets comply better with minimum legal age for purchase of alcohol compared to other off‐premise outlets for alcohol sales. Methods Under‐age‐appearing 18‐year‐olds attempted to purchase alcohol in off‐premise outlets applying identical procedures in Finland (n = 290) and Norway (n = 170). Outcomes were measured as whether or not the buyers were asked to present an identity (ID) card and whether or not they succeeded in purchasing alcohol. Results The buyers were asked to present an ID card in slightly more than half the attempts, and they succeeded in purchasing alcohol in 48% of the cases. The buyers were more likely to be requested to present an ID card and less likely to succeed in purchasing alcohol in monopoly outlets compared to other types of outlets, and also when other outcome predictors, such as age and gender of salesperson and crowdedness in the outlet, were taken into account. Conclusion Monopoly outlets may facilitate compliance with minimum legal age for purchase of alcohol.