The Swedish online gambling trade association reported Svenska Spel to Broadcast watchdog over aggressive advertising in pre-financed TV programs
The Swedish Trade Association for Online Gambling, Branschföreningen för Onlinespel (BOS), has reported Svenska Spel to the Swedish Broadcasting Commission over the company’s ads in pre-financed television programs.
BOS represents more than 20 international online gambling operators and content suppliers that have been authorized to operate in Sweden.
In a Monday statement, BOS said that it has notified the Broadcasting Commission that the former Swedish gambling monopoly has been advertising its products in pre-financed programs without featuring clear responsible gambling messages.
The trade association went on to explain that Svenska Spel has been aggressively promoting its Triss, Keno, and Lotto games on commercial TV channels as “a natural part” of morning and family programs. However, its ads do not include clear warnings that gambling is an activity that people should engage in responsibly.
The lack of such clear messages violates Sweden’s newly enforced gambling law, BOS General Secretary Gustaf Hoffstedt pointed out in Monday’s statement. Mr. Hoffstedt went on to say that all companies authorized to operate in the re-organized Swedish market should “realize that the old rules of the monopoly market are over” and that all participants in the field should abide by the new rules and regulations.
This is not the first time that BOS has complained against Svenska Spel’s marketing practices. Earlier this year, the trade association filed a complaint with the Swedish Competition Authority, urging actions to be taken against the former monopoly’s practice to reach out to its customers to promote its newly launched online betting and casino offering.
Government Mulls Blanket Ban on Gambling Adverts
Sweden’s Minister for Public Administration Ardalan Shekarabi launched last month a review of the country’s gambling advertising codes. Together with a team of fellow lawmakers led by him, Minister Shekarabi will craft a legislation that will call for a full or at least a partial ban on all forms of advertising of gambling products and services.
The move came after the Public Administration Minister voiced concerns that licensed gambling operators are not doing enough to ensure that their offering is being promoted in a socially responsible manner. Sweden’s new gambling law enabled companies licensed by the local regulator Spelinspektionen to advertise their products across various media outlets.
However, the companies have been criticized heavily for advertising their offering too aggressively since day one of the new regulatory regime. In February, Minister Shekarabi gathered together representatives of Spelinspektionen’s licensees, urging them to adopt the necessary measures and ensure that gambling adverts are socially responsible and distributed in a manner that would not harm vulnerable members of the population.
It was last month again when Svenska Spel announced that it has terminated all its online casino adverts. The company, which debuted its online gambling offering early this year, said that its decision was prompted by the publication of a report by the Swedish Public Health Agency, according to which the majority of Sweden’s problem gamblers are avid players of online casino games.
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