Swedish regulator appoints former Lads PR manager
Joakim Rönngren named communications director of Lotteriinspektionen ahead of changes to Swedish gambling regulation.
The Swedish Gaming Board (Lotteriinspektionen) has appointed former Ladbrokes PR manager Joakim Rönngren as its communications director, the authority has announced.
Rönngren joins the Lotteriinspektionen just a year after serving as a senior advisor for the consultancy ODIAV Perception, having previously spent eight years as Ladbrokes’ manager for PR and public affairs for the Nordic region. He has been appointed ahead of what the regulator describes as a series of “radical changes” to Sweden’s gambling laws, with his industry experience described as crucial in communicating the body’s new policies and legislation to the public and the wider online gambling industry.
Lotteriinspektionen general director Hakan Hallstedt spoke of his delight at having appointed Rönngren, explaining that he felt the regulator had hired too few employees hired from within the online gambling industry in the past.
“It is not easy to find someone who is good at both communications and gaming-related issues. Therefore, I am particularly pleased that we have been able to recruit Joakim Rönngren, whose international market expertise adds a special dimension,” Hallstedt added.
Earlier this month the Swedish government announced that it would act on the findings of a report into online gambling carried out by the country’s National Audit Office (Riksrevisionen), pledging to publish a proposed regulatory framework by May this year. The report highlighted Sweden’s “widespread and growing” unlicensed gambling market, which the government conceded put players at risk of developing addiction or being victims of fraud.
Commenting on his appointment Rönngren said: “It is a fantastic opportunity to communicate information of the authority, which is one of the most important roles when making changes to the Swedish market. To help combat extensive illegal gambling in Sweden, often with major social implications is a particularly important subject as I take on the challenge.”