Riksrevisionen report may open Swedish gaming market
National Audit Office calls for egaming legislation " Swedish government obliged to respond to findings.
The Swedish National Audit Office (Riskrevisionen) has concluded its two-year investigation into the Swedish gambling market recommending the government officially opens up the sector to private operators and potentially paving the way of the introduction of regulation.
The report’s findings mainly concern player protection with current monopoly operator Svenska Spel criticised as “not [taking] sufficient account of the risk of gambling addiction and [being able to] do more to counter this.”
Auditor general Claes Norgren explained that under the current system players are at greater risk of developing gambling addictions due to unclear licence conditions over offering and advertising gambling and the fact there are currently no measures in place to combat illegal and unlicensed gambling.
“We see a worrying trend where some players are at risk of developing addictions,” he said. “The question is how a balance can be struck between the demand for the game and the need for the products to be regulated, and Svenska Spel will have to set an example for the market when it comes to combatting gambling addiction,” Norgren added.
As a result the Riskrevisionen has called for the introduction of regulation to ensure controls are in place to treat or prevent addiction. In April this year the government pledged to respond to the report’s findings though Nya Moderaterna MP Gustaf Hoffstedt, whose party has been vocal in its support of gambling regulation and who today warned there was no guarantee of rapid progress.
“It is significant that the Audit department has acknowledged that the market is not well-regulated, and it is significant that the calls for reform have come from the Swedish state itself. However, 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,” Hoffstedt explained.
Despite the lack of regulation, a number of private operators have entered the Swedish market, with Gamesys the latest to do so, launching Jackpotjoy.se in March this year.