ATG to publish six-monthly reports on problem gambling actions

The Swedish operator will share its internal activities against problem gambling in a move intended to improve transparency.

UK.- The Swedish horseracing betting operator ATG has announced that from 2023 it will publish six-monthly reports on the activities it has undertaken on problem gambling. In a bid to increase transparency, it will report details of what percentage of players it contacts because of signs of risky gambling.

ATG will also report on the effect of contacting players, including the extent to which players reduced their problem gambling and what percentage stopped gambling completely. Svenska Spel and Kindred already report statistics on responsible gambling.

ATG chief executive Hasse Lord Skarplöth said the aim was to create more trust in the gaming industry, something that was found to be very low in the Swedish Quality Index at the end of last year.

Skarplöth said: “We view this initiative as a first, and big, step in the work to improve the reputation of the gaming industry. The number of people gambling has increased alongside the potential of companies taking responsibility for those who are at risk of developing harmful gambling practices. 

“Operators offer the opportunity to play and therefore have the heavy responsibility of identifying and stopping players that may be at risk of problem gambling. By sharing this internal information, investors, politicians, our customers and the public are given the opportunity to evaluate us and how we push to strive for more responsible gambling.”

Earlier this month, Skarplöth blasted the gaming industry’s use of bonuses. He said the practice was “embarrassing” and said that bonuses drive gambling addiction. He put his support behind Sweden’s current restrictions on the practice.

Sweden has strict rules on bonuses, which are only available on sign-up, with operators allowed to offer a single bonus of up to SEK100. However, the Moderata Party is considering proposals to relax those rules to help companies retain customers, which it says would boost consumer protections.

Niklas Wykman has been named by the Moderata Party as the new minister responsible for gambling as minister for financial markets in Sweden’s new governing coalition. The industry association Branscheforenigen för Onlinespel (BOS) hopes the new government will be more inclined to favour gaming and has highlighted its priorities.

ATG revenue remains level

ATG has reported that net gaming revenue for the nine months to September 30 was SEK3.9bn (€352.6m), a drop of under 1 per cent year-on-year. Horse racing betting generated SEK3.02bn, down 6 per cent while sports betting revenue rose 6 per cent to SEK479m. Casino revenue was up 52 per cent year-on-year at SEK384m following the end of pandemic-related restrictions.

It noted that while the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic was largely over, high inflation was now posing a challenge.

Chief financial officer Lotta Nilsson Viitala said it was hard to forecast the extent to which global economic conditions would impact ATG, but he said the business would be affected.

He said: “We see tendencies towards our customers having less money left in their entertainment wallet. This is entirely natural with the price increases and interest rate increases that are taking place. The economic situation affects everyone and with less money left for entertainment and consumption of games, it will also affect ATG. However, it is difficult to say by how much.”