Trade body fights backs on Swedish app removals
BOS hits out at the regulator's role in the removal of over a dozen apps from Apple's Sweden-facing App Store
The Association of Online Gambling Operators in Sweden (BOS) has criticised the Swedish Gambling Authority’s (Lotteriinspektionen) role in the removal of its member’s apps from the Swedish App Store and called on the regulator to help with re-installation.
Last month Apple removed gambling apps belonging to more than a dozen operators from its Sweden-facing store after a letter from the regulator highlighted a possible breach of terms and conditions due to the unlicensed and potentially “illegal” status of operators.
However, the industry trade body BOS described the insinuations that its members, which include Unibet and Betfair, were operating illegally as “disappointing” as they all hold an EU licence.
“I hope it’s obvious to everyone involved that there is no legal base for the regulator to suggest that there would be anything illegal about the business,” Gustaf Hoffstedt, general secretary of BOS, told eGaming Review.
“Since the letters from the regulator caused the problem I would appreciate if the regulator can be as active in a re-installation process as they were in the opposite,” he added.
It is still not known whether the removal is on a permanent or temporary basis but the regulator has claimed it was Apple’s decision alone for the app removal after describing its communication with the company as merely “informative”.
In a letter sent by the regulator’s general director Hakan Hallstedt to BOS on Friday, and seen by eGR, the Authority emphasised that it was not itself responsible for the current situation.
“The Gambling Authority is the central supervisory body of the Lotteries Act [and] in this capacity communicates with a variety of players in the market,” the letter said.
“A directed question concerning compliance does mean that the Gambling Authority has taken a decision on the matter,” the letter continued.
Apps belonging to the likes of Betsson, William Hill, Betfair, bet365 and Unibet remain unavailable to download from Apple’s Swedish App Store.