Svenska Spel assigns €4m for problem gambling research

The Swedish lottery and gaming operator will fund research projects over five years.

Sweden.- Svenska Spel, Sweden’s state-owned lottery and gaming operator, has announced that it has assigned SEK42m (€4m) in funds for problem gambling research. It will spend SEK8.5m per year over the next five years, with SEK25m going to research grants.

The latest pledge will take the operator’s funding in the area to SEK100m since the foundation of its independent Research Council in 2010. The body carries out investigations with Lund University.

Svenska Spel president and chief executive Patrik Hofbauer said: “The Research Council has been a central driving force in establishing the research field in gambling problems in Sweden. There are still many unanswered questions about how best to prevent and treat gambling addiction. With that in mind, our continued support feels right both from a business and a humanitarian perspective.”

Sara Lindholm, chair of the Research Council, said: “Social community efforts and addiction care need the right tools at the right time. The long-term investment in research on gambling contributes to knowledge of effective methods for preventing and treating gambling addiction. 

“Developing the right interventions for those who need it most requires patience, commitment and research at the forefront.”

Last month, Svenska Spel reported that its Q2 revenue was up by 1 per cent year-on-year from SEK 1,938m to SEK 1,963m (€186.5m). However, operating profit fell by 4 per cent to SEK 1,127m (€106.8m).

The slight increase in revenue was mainly due to the fact that casinos were closed due to Covid-19 countermeasures in 2021. Meanwhile, the drop in profit was mainly due to higher costs, including investment in product development and technology.

Ålands Penningautomatförening (Paf), the gambling operator owned by the regional government of the Åland islands, has proposed that Sweden ban gambling advertising and hike taxes on the industry.

A very different proposal is that of the right-of-centre Moderata Party. It says it will sell off Svenska Spel if it wins Sweden’s general election in September. It has submitted a provisional mandate to Sweden’s national legislature, the Riksdag, proposing the division and sale of the company.