Swedish regulator could gain powers to block all unlicensed gaming

A report from the Swedish government suggested the regulator could be given powers to block all unlicensed gaming offerings irrespective of whether they are found to be actively targeting Swedish players.

Sweden. A new report has emerged proposing that the Swedish gaming regulator have the power to block all unlicensed gaming offerings, not only those actively targeting Swedish players.

The Ministry of Finance and Gunnar Larsson, director general of the Swedish Chamber of Commerce, propose that Spelinspektionen block all gambling accessible to customers in Sweden. The regulator would inform payment providers of the operators to which payments should be blocked.

Spelinspektionen may also conduct test purchases, allowing it to see if online gambling sites accept Swedish players. As a result, operators would have to actively block Swedish players from using their products or services, or face being blocked in the country.

The Netherlands recently announced a similar change, which led several major operators to begin blocking Dutch customers when the country’s new regulated online gaming market launched last weekend.

The report also proposes changes to rules surrounding match-fixing. All licensees would have to report suspected match-fixing to Spelinspektionen, which would then forward the details to other licensees and to sports federations. Licensees would also have to monitor whether sportspeople place bets in breach of match-fixing rules.

Spelinspektionen director general Camilla Rosenberg said the measures would help it tackle unlicensed gambling and match-fixing more effectively.

She said: “We view positively the proposals that strengthen our opportunities to work more effectively against unlicensed play and match-fixing. We look forward to being able to collaborate more with other players to better achieve the goals of the gaming market reform.”

Patrik Hofbauer, chief executive of lottery and igaming operator Svenska Spel, also welcomed the report. He said: “This provides an opportunity for increased channelling in the Swedish gaming market, as unlicensed operations will be shut down.”