More Detail On Swedish Gambling Reform Review (Update)

By Brian Cullingworth, Last updated Apr 7, 2017

Not a total abandonment of the monopoly, it seems

More detail on the report of the task force charged with making recommendations regarding the liberalisation of Sweden monopolistic gambling industry (see previous InfoPowa reports) is now available following the publication of the voluminous review and recommendations at:

http://www.regeringen.se/rattsdokument/statens-offentliga-utredningar/2017/03/sou-201730/

A few cliff notes:

* Regulator Lotteriinspektionen should be the authority to regulate liberalised online gambling activity, with a tasking to ensure that within two years of implementation of liberalising legislation 90 percent of the market is held by Swedish-licensed online gambling companies;

* It appears there is to be no total abandonment of the existing monopoly; Svenska Spel will retain exclusivity in respect of land-based casino and slots activity, and the lottery sector will remain closed to foreign operators;

* Online operators with ambitions in the Swedish market will have to take out separate licenses for each vertical they plan to offer;

* Separate licenses will be required by service and technology providers;

* The review underlined the importance of tough consumer protection and enforcement provisions, including a national player self-exclusion facility.

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