Swedish regulator proposes self-regulated advertising measures

Swedish regulator Lotteriinspektionen has proposed online operators adopt self-regulation for advertising in the country in order to prevent children and the vulnerable from gambling.

Director general Håkan Hallstedt suggested gambling operators in the country form an “informal unholy alliance” and adopt several measures to prevent advertising targeting at-risk parties.

Hallstedt proposed that operators remove all advertising that could be seen to target children from their 2015 schedules, including branding material on athlete clothing, and remove all gaming-related marketing material from youth sport activities.

He was reacting to the presence of promotional material from an unnamed unregulated operator within a broadcast of SVT’s Winter Studio winter sports television programme.

Hallstedt said that the advertising promoted the chance of winning a “life changing” prize and escalated the risk of problem gambling, particularly within children and vulnerable people.

“The challenge for many Swedish families constantly having to fend off game-related communications that are not balanced is considerable and unnecessary,” Hallstedt said.

Gambling marketing has proven to be a bone of contention during 2014 with the regulator making repeated efforts to clamp down on widespread egaming advertising in Sweden.

The Lotteriinspektionen said it was prepared to take the organisers of the Stockholm Marathon to court after it agreed a sponsorship deal with London-listed Unibet in April and criticised the country’s monopoly Svenska Spel for allegedly violating advertising regulations following a review of its marketing activities.