Swedish government insists black-market clampdown remains high priority
Politician Ardalan Shekarabi is “closely following” events but rejects need for further legislation as Rightlander exposes devious offshore marketing techniques
Sweden’s minister for social affairs, Ardalan Shekarabi, has reaffirmed his country’s commitment to tackling black-market gambling sites but dismissed the need for further legislation to protect the licensed market.
Responding to a question from fellow MP John Weinerhall, Shekarabi said excluding unlicensed actors has been a priority for the government since reregulation of the market in 2019.
Sweden’s government has introduced criminal sanctions against unlicensed operators as well as a tax liability on gaming winnings from licensed games provided via these firms.
Shekarabi also noted the long-awaited inquiry into the Swedish market, which is currently out for consultation, has proposed wide-ranging measures to target black-market firms.
“I am closely following developments in this area, but do not currently intend to submit an additional directive concerning the area of application to the inquiry led by [special investigator] Gunnar Larsson,” Shekarabi claimed.
However, Swedish-licensed operators have said the government needs to do more to protect the licensed market, given Sweden’s declining channelisation rate, which is estimated to be as low as 75% for online casino.
Licensed operators have suggested the implementation of measures including deposit and bonus limits have perceptibly made the unlicensed market more appealing to players.
Weinerhall said during the debate: “The investigation recently appointed by the government does not concern unlicensed gambling, which according to the gambling act is not illegal.
“If the government has an interest in nurturing the re-regulated Swedish gaming market, it should be the foreign unlicensed gaming companies that will have a harder time working against the Swedish market and not the Swedish-licensed gaming companies.”
The consultation on the market inquiry measures closes on 30 April.
In January 2021, affiliate compliance monitoring service Rightlander investigated the online gambling market in Sweden.
The study discovered websites using the country’s self-exclusion register, Spelpaus, as a marketing term to attract vulnerable online gamblers.
A total of 98 websites were found to be advertising unlicensed black-market casinos, while 78 used terms such as “casinos not on Spelpaus” to entice excluded consumers.
According to Rightlander, 30 of these websites advertised offshore casinos that allowed customers to gamble online without even having to register their details.
Rightlander founder Ian Sims said: “The findings from this investigation highlight just how easy it is to find an unlicensed online casino in Sweden even if you are a registered self-excluded problem gambler.
“With limited control over these website and unlicensed operators, vulnerable gamblers fall under serious risk of gambling-related harm,” he added.