Swedish minister pledges to introduce gambling legislation
Minister for financial markets promises introduction of regulation before end of current parliamentary term in 2014.
The Swedish minister for financial markets has responded to calls for egaming legislation by stating that the government will propose a regulatory framework before the country’s next general election in 2014.
Speaking on national radio station Sveriges Radio on Friday afternoon, Peter Norman “ who is responsible for the country’s egaming market “ explained that while no decisions have yet been made on whether the market will be opened up to private operators or simply closed to companies other than the incumbent monopoly operator Svenska Spel, the key aim of legislation is to combat problem gambling and addiction.
“I cannot confirm or deny [that we will introduce] a licensing model, but it is under consideration. There are many pitfalls in gaming policy, we have to consider everyone but for us gambling addiction is the most important issue. The target is a bill before the term ends,” Norman explained.
“It is a very complex issue with many things that must be considered; Tax revenues, funding for sport and that this industry is changing from, if not day to day, then from month to month. You need to find new, modern tools that fit in a modern gaming market environment,” he added.
Norman’s comments come after a two-year investigation into gambling by the Swedish National Audit Office (Riskrevisionen) concluded that regulation was a necessity, with auditor general Claes Norgren highlighting “a worrying trend” towards problem gambling under the current system, also calling on Svenska Spel “to set an example for the market when it comes to combatting gambling addiction.”
In April this year the Swedish government had pledged to respond to the report’s findings, but on Friday MP Gustaf Hoffstedt of the country’s centre-right Nya Moderaterna party told eGaming Review that the promise was no guarantee of progress, explaining that “It is important to remember that the government is only obliged to respond to the report’s findings, and has no obligation to act on them.”
However, Norman’s pledge echoes Hoffstedt’s original prediction that legislation would be introduced by 2014 at the earliest. Speaking to eGR in November last year, he said: “I understand there may be a possibility of a licensed system being introduced at the very end of this period in the parliament in 2014, but I think it is probably more realistic to speak about regulation happening under the next government from 2014-15.”