Sweden is one of the countries where the gambling sector is monopolised and international operators are not allowed to provide their products and services on the territory of the country.
However, Swedish gambling officials are likely to face pressure from the European Union as the existing gambling laws need to be reviewed as soon as possible. The European Union demands the gambling – related rules and regulations to be updated so as to become compatible with the EU policies regarding competition. Due to the mounting pressure, Swedish Ministry of Finance announced that the gambling laws will be thoroughly reviewed in order to live up to the demands of the contemporary gambling industry in Europe.
The ministry specified that the upcoming reforms will affect predominantly the international gambling operators willing to enter the Swedish casino industry. The amendments are to establish an online gambling policy that provides the necessary level of protection of both the player and the provider. It is a well-known fact that Sweden is a country where gambling activities are particularly popular and effective measures are needed for prevention of crimes, frauds and addiction issues.
Currently, operators that are allowed to operate within the countries of the European Union define Sweden as a grey market country. Their presence on the unregulated markets causes a lot of conflicts between Svenska Spel – the Swedish gambling monopolist, and Lotteriinspektionen, which acts as the gambling regulator of the country.
The gambling services, provided by Svenska Spel, are also to be thoroughly reviewed due to the fact that an alarming tendency for a participation in casino games on unregulated markets was noticed. According to the latest reports, Svenska Spel has registered serious revenue declines, while international operators are becoming a more desirable gambling option.
The CEO of Svenska Spel, Lennart Käll, was reached for a comment and said that the company welcomes the attempts for establishing a new regulatory framework. A successful reform of the gambling laws would limit the number of international operators allowed to provide their services in Sweden as a handful of them will be awarded licenses.
Most Swedish ministers support the idea of having the gambling laws amended and compatible with the directives of the European Union. What is more, the Minister of Public Administration, Ardalan Shekarabi, announced last month that he would like to lead initiatives.
Swedish authorities are urged to take actions and establish gambling laws that meet the EU requirements before the fall of 2018 when the next General Election is to take place.
