-
Casinos for you
Sweden's Treasury Reports on Positive Impact of Regulated Gambling
By Shane Addinall Apr 07, 2022 IndustryHow is Sweden performing with player protection and channelisation since their gambling re-regulation? The State Treasury drew up a report on the region's strengths and weaknesses.According to the country's Treasury, Sweden improved consumer protection within the remote gambling market. The country's State Treasury reports how the region edges closer to overarching goals set by parliament in 2018. When the country set out to regulate online gambling in 2019, the government assigned goals they wished to achieve through the process.
Tasked to evaluate the effectiveness of the igaming market's regulation, Sweden's State Treasury reports marked improvement from 2018 to 2021. The report specifically focused on channelisation and consumer protection.
A Digital Ecosystem Approaching Harmony
The discovery of an increased number of black-market wagers in Sweden motivated the country's lawmakers to establish a regulated market. Sweden launched its regulated igaming industry on January 1, 2019. In their drive to provide a safer gambling space for citizens and for the state to have more control over online gambling, they laid out goals.
In partnership with Spelinspektionen and licensed platforms, the Swedish government aims to achieve strong consumer protection, public control of the market, and safe gaming revenues for the state. The State Treasury believes the most important achievement to date is an increase of state control over the gaming market. More Swedish punters choose licensed operators.
This effectively allows for greater player protection, as the operators must adhere to legislation set out by Sweden. Another advantage is that these providers pay tax, securing gaming revenues within the country's borders. The Treasury's report cites that the re-regulation of gambling led to more responsible advertising practices, as well as improved opportunities to curb match-fixing.
Room for Improvement
State Treasury believes the country must improve certain regulations for increased protection against gambling harm. Although it found stronger consumer protection related to the re-regulation, it argues that more can be done.
Two areas specifically mentioned by the Treasury are data processing and the increased need for operator intervention with excessive gambling. In the report it highlighted the need for research and greater knowledge on effective measures to improve problematic behaviours. The report maintains:
"The re-regulation has to a large extent preserved the conditions for the association's life to take part of the income from games, with the exception of the associations behind the bingo halls."
The State Treasury recommends actions to improve the gaming market. It states that more information on channelisation and agreements with neighbouring EU countries can aid in the fight against unlicensed providers. The Treasury hopes to see a more proactive approach from authorities in taking down illegal providers.
Treasury Calls on Other Bodies for Greater Protection
In its report, the Treasury urged Spelinspektionen to improve communication with the industry and release details to the operators on excluded players. The State Treasury asked the regulator to produce an annual report on match-fixing. They put a request forward for the Swedish Public Health Agency to monitor the development of gambling problems in the country.
Meanwhile, Spelinspektionen announced the upgrade of the self-exclusion service, Spelpaus.se. The update improves certain safer gambling services, and they will complete the upgrade by the end of May. Once the update is successful, users can extend their ongoing suspension periods by the click of a button.
The aim of the upgrade is a more user-friendly experience. Therefore, the 73,000 current users and new registers will find it easier to use the platform. Users will also have information and guidance on how to get the right help for gambling addiction.
You might also like