Sweden launches illegal gambling inquiry

The minister for social security says the inquiry will seek ways to clamp down on offshore operators.

Sweden.- The minister for social security, Ardalan Shekarabi, has launched an inquiry into illegal gambling and match-fixing that will seek to find new ways to block offshore operators.

He has put the director general of the Swedish Chamber of Commerce, Gunnar Larsson, in charge of the inquiry. He will seek to identify hurdles affecting enforcement action against offshore operators and to propose solutions.

The enquiry will investigate the national gambling regulator Spelinspektionen’s difficulties in enforcing payment blocks to offshore gaming sites. 

It comes after regulated operators called for the government to prioritise measures against illegal gaming rather than on introducing new regulations for those in the licensed market.

Many critics have warned that Sweden’s temporary deposit limits on online casinos could lead more players to turn to the unlicensed market.

Shekarabi said: “We have a responsibility to protect vulnerable consumers from illegal gambling, but also to protect the [licensed operators] in the gambling market from unfair competition.

“Increased efforts are needed to exclude illegal gambling from the Swedish gambling market.”

Larsson will also assess Spelinspektionen and the regulator’s Match-Fixing Council’s action on match fixing and look into how Sweden can increase measures in this area.

The operator association Branschföreningen för Onlinespel (BOS) has welcomed the launch of the inquiry.

Secretary general Gustaf Hoffstedt said: “This is an initiative from the government that we welcome. The first two years of re-regulated gambling in Sweden has been marked by repressive measures from authorities and the government towards Swedish licensed operators, whereas unlicensed operators have been left untouched. 

“Meanwhile a growing proportion of the Swedish punters have been abandoning the Swedish licensing market, with online casino as the most extreme example with a leakage out of the system of at least 25 per cent.

“Considering the government’s goal is that at least 90 per cent of Sweden’s gambling shall stay within the licensing system by January 1 2022, that goal appears very distant.”