Unibet sponsorship row set for Swedish courts

The Swedish Gambling Authority (Lotteriinspektionen) has warned organisers of last weekend’s Stockholm Marathon they may face legal action after the event refused to pull its sponsorship deal with operator Unibet.

The Stockholm Marathon, which took place last Saturday, received repeated warnings from the regulator in the lead-up to the event that its contract with Unibet was deemed to be in in violation of the Swedish Lottery Act.

The warnings culminated in a court injunction being granted on the eve of the race, however, organisers decided to press ahead with a deal which saw Unibet branding displayed around the 26-mile course.

“The injunction was ignored by the organisers on due date,” a Lotteriinspektionen spokesperson confirmed to eGaming Review.

“It is now for the court to decide and listen to the arguments on why the injunction issued should be regarded as relevant – our view is that this is a clear breach of the Swedish Lottery Act,” the spokesperson said.

“If the administrative court finds the case relevant, the organisers of the event might have to spend some time in court in the coming future.”

The row erupted in April when Unibet was announced as the main sponsor of the annual marathon which takes place around the Swedish capital.

Section 38 of the Lottery Act states that it is prohibited for companies to promote for profit the participation in “lotteries arranged outside the country”, and although listed on the Swedish stock exchange, Unibet is licensed and based in Malta.

The Stockholm Marathon was unavailable for comment at time of publication while Unibet declined to comment on the issue.

The development comes amid increasing government interest in the promotion of foreign gambling in Sweden with the Swedish government set to assess whether national legislation can be changed to prevent or forbid advertising by operators based outside of the country.