Swedish gambling regulator welcomes proposed Gambling Act amendments
Spelinspektionen director-general Camilla Rosenberg has responded positively to the proposed new safeguards.
Sweden.- Camilla Rosenberg, director-general of the gambling regulator Spelinspektionen, has welcomed proposed amendments to Sweden’s Gambling Act. The changes, which aim to increase player protection, would come into force on April 1 next year.
Proposals referred to Sweden’s legislative council include a requirement for customers to give operators written approval before taking part in telephone-based gaming. Meanwhile, gambling operators would be able to access customer data on finance and health to counteract excessive gambling. There will also be higher fines for operators that breach the Money Laundering Act.
Rosenberg said: “We welcome the proposals that enable further measures to strengthen the regulation of the gaming market. It is also gratifying that the government has now heeded the Gambling Authority’s proposal to raise the sanction ceiling for violations of the Money Laundering Act.”
Earlier this month, Spelinspektionen urged the Swedish government to ban gambling using credit cards. The call comes in the regulator’s response to the Ministry of Justice’s July report on risky lending. Meanwhile, the regulator will receive an extra SEK10.8m (€906,000) in funding next year to tackle the unlicensed market. This will be increased to SEK15.6m in 2025 and SEK18.6m in 2026.
Swedish gambling revenue remains level
Swedish gambling revenue remained steady in the third quarter of the year at SEK 6.7bn (€573.8m). The figure is level with Q2 but down by 0.6 per cent year-on-year. Online casino and sports betting generated SEK 4.25bn, down 1.4 per cent year-on-year, while GGR from state-owned lotteries and slots fell by 0.1 per cent to SEK 1.4bn.
However, land-based casino revenue rose by 31 per cent to SEK 81m. Non-profit lotteries’ revenue fell by 8.26 per cent. Revenue from community games and bingo halls was level at SEK 49m.
