Swedish operators push for breakup of Svenska Spel as Niklas Wykman takes office

The trade association Branscheforenigen för Onlinespel has called on Wykman to make changes to Sweden’s gambling policies.

Sweden.- A new minister has been put in charge of gambling policy in Sweden, and the private online gambling industry has been quick to draw up a wishlist of changes. Niklas Wykman will be responsible for gambling in his role as minister for financial markets in Sweden’s new governing coalition.

Led by the Moderate Party, the new government is to the right of the previous centre-left coalition. Wykman’s position marks a change in structure. Previously, minister for social affairs Ardalan Shekerabi was responsible for gambling. But putting the sector in Wykman’s purview is in keeping with the structure used by the previous Moderata-led government between 2006 and 2014.

The industry association Branscheforenigen för Onlinespel (BOS) now hopes the new government will be more inclined to favour gaming and has highlighted three priorities.

BOS chief executive Gustaf Hoffstedt said: “We look forward to having a discussion with Niklas Wykman about how gambling policy can best be developed in Sweden. We will have three important messages in those discussions. 

“Firstly, licensed gambling companies must be protected at the expense of unlicensed ones. Secondly, the state should concentrate on making laws that the rest of us must follow rather than acting as a commercial gambling company itself. Thirdly, it would be welcome if Wykman were the first minister in any Swedish government to dare to highlight the gambling industry’s important business and political significance for Sweden and Europe.”

Swedish gambling regulator announces meeting on B2B licences

The national gambling regulator Spelinspektionen has pencilled in a meeting in Stockholm on December 7 to provide information on Sweden’s proposed new B2B licences for gaming suppliers. The meeting will be held to provide information to gaming stakeholders, although only if the Swedish legislature passes legislation for the new licences.

Although the law introducing B2B supplier licences still has to be approved by the legislature, the Swedish gambling regulator has set a date on which it will open the application process. Spelinspektionen says the process will open on March 1, 2023.