Sweden proposes licensed gambling

The government proposes that the state gambling monopoly is scrapped and replaced with a licensing system.

Sweden.- Sweden has been trying to replace its gambling system for quite some time, with the latest news showing that the government proposed on Thursday that the state gambling monopoly is replaced by a licensing system.

The government wants to rein in foreign-based online gambling that has been growing in the past few years. The increase of online betting has gradually put pressure on the monopoly, which was established more than 80 years ago.

The government seeks to bring foreign-based online gambling companies under its regulatory scheme in order to bring more revenue to the country. The proposal includes an 18 per cent tax on gross gaming revenue, largely in line with a study unveiled by the government last year. “The now proposed gambling legislation means that anyone active in the Swedish gambling market should do so with a valid licence and that actors without licences will be shut out,” said a statement.

Swedish Public Administration Minister Ardalan Shekarabi said during a news conference that the legislation would make it a crime to promote unlicensed gambling. Despite the intention of limiting the gambling monopoly, some types of gambling would remain the same way, such as the state-run casinos operating in Sweden. The legislation is expected to come into force starting 2019 if it obtains approval from parliament.