Swedish government to lift online casino restrictions on 14 November

Online casino restrictions designed to protect Swedish consumers from gambling-related harm during the Covid-19 pandemic will be lifted on 14 November in a major boost for operators.

Since July 2020, licensed firms have been forced to comply with a weekly SEK5,000 cap on deposit limits and a SEK100 limit on bonuses.

The legislation has negatively impacted revenue for gambling companies licensed by the Swedish Gambling Authority (SGA) during the intervening period.

Critics, including operator trade association BOS, argued it caused channelisation rates to spiral as consumers went in search of more generous bonus and deposit rules in the illegal offshore market.

The restrictions were thought up by Minister for Social Security Ardalan Shekarabi and were initially due to expire in June 2021 before being extended due to the worsening pandemic situation.

However, Sweden’s Ministry of Finance has confirmed they will now be eased on 14 November, after which time the government has instructed the SGA to evaluate their effect and propose new measures to strengthen consumer protection in gambling to “counteract public health problems”.

“Turnover in the gaming market has increased and online gaming has probably benefited from changed consumption patterns since the reregulation,” said Shekarabi on 28 October.

“There is a risk that this has led to a long-term behavioural change with increased gambling. This is a development that should be followed up to see if there is a need for further measures,” he added.

The SGA has been asked to submit a partial report for the first part of the evaluation by 15 March 2020, while the final assignment must be published in full no later than 31 October 2023.