Sweden’s SPER draws up best practice framework for igaming operators
The Swedish igaming trade association SPER has drawn up a draft framework of best practices for customer terms and conditions.
Sweden.- The Swedish igaming association Spelbranschens Riksorganisation (SPER) has published a draft outline of best practices for its members to follow regarding customer terms and conditions.
The body has drawn up a nine-point advisory framework after Sweden’s consumer agency Konsumentverket criticised the licensed igaming market’s lack of alignment in standards in a report in December.
The framework is intended to introduce common practices across the regulated sector, reinforcing the consumer protection rules in Sweden’s Gambling Act to ensure igaming customers are safeguarded by fair terms and conditions.
An emphasis has been put on ensuring that igaming operators provide customers with clear contract terms that are easy to understand.
The new guidance states that contract terms must provide full customer information on technicalities regarding sign-up, verification, documentation required, data storage, deposits/withdrawals and customers’ deregistration rights.
Operators must also maintain a fair complaints procedure and must make consumers aware of their rights to challenge operator decisions through a dispute resolution solution – either the ARN (General Complaints Board) or EU online Dispute Resolution (ODR) platform.
SPER stressed that although operators can choose to apply foreign laws in terms and conditions, those laws cannot override mandatory consumer protections offered by Swedish law.
SPER chief executive Jenny Nilzon said: “The Swedish Consumer Agency has pointed out that there is great potential for improvement when it comes to agreements.
“This framework is intended as a help and guidance. Our recommendation is based on it being clear and comprehensible to consumers what applies when you become and are a customer.”
In December, Konsumentverket warned the Swedish gambling regulator Spelinspektionen about deficiencies after a review of 13 randomly chosen licensed igaming operators’ terms and conditions.
Meanhile, it remains to be seen how Sweden’s government will respond to last year’s gambling market inquiry.
The Swedish igaming association BOS has said it is optimistic that the collapse of Sweden’s government this week could benefit the industry by holding up any potential changes to regulation.
The vote of no confidence in the government may also prevent Sweden from further extending its temporary deposit limits on online casino gaming. A full operation government will not be chosen until September, and the deposit limits are currently due to expire on November 14.
