The Swedish Gambling Inspectorate (Spelinspektionen) has accepted some recommendations for tighter restrictions, such as further limits on ads in the country’s Gambling Market Inquiry, but has objected to others, including a permanent SEK5000 deposit cap on slot machines.
Calls from Sweden’s Gambling Market Inquiry
Back in December 2020, the Swedish Gambling Market Inquiry (Spelmarknadsutredningen) published a report on the regulation of iGaming after it was legalised in the country in 2019.
The report notably called for tighter restrictions on gambling advertising, for a licensing regime for software providers and for Sweden’s current temporary SEK5,000 (£429) deposit cap for slot machines to be made permanent. This is related to this report that the Swedish Gambling Inspectorate has recently responded to.
The Inspectorate response
While the Swedish gambling regulator has lent its support to the proposals on licences for software providers and limits on advertising, it argued that loss limits should be investigated prior to be implemented and should only apply to the highest risk games.
The Inspectorate also added that loss limits should “be supplemented with mandatory indication of login time”.
Regarding advertising, the regulator stated that requiring “particular moderation” would be “a positive step in enforcing responsible gambling”.
“It is logical to have the same basic requirements for the marketing of games as on the marketing of alcohol-based on the risks associated with the products”, it said.
It also welcomed the proposal of a gaming software licence but only to provide software to an operator and not to manufacture gambling software.
However, the Swedish regulator expressed doubt over a proposal to have the Swedish Public Health Agency creating a risk classification model for different types of gambling, claiming that regulatory action would need to be prioritised. Plus, it called for official guidance on how risk potential will be measured.
