The Swedish Ministry of Finance, alongside the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise’s Director General, Gunnar Larsson, have fleshed out the proposal to tighten oversight of offshore operators accepting wagers in Sweden, which was put forward last week.
Larsson and the Ministry of Finance’s report was commissioned by Social Security Minister Ardalan Shekarabi to tackle issues of match-fixing and unauthorized gambling, as well as penalties for anti-money laundering infringements.
Under the current framework, the regulator Spelinspektionen has authority over any gambling activity targeting the Swedish market (e.g., through marketing or local payment methods) and can take action against unauthorized operators.
However, in a concise summary of the report, Larsson disclosed last week that he recommends broadening the scope of the legislation to apply to all gambling activities that Swedish players can engage in.
With the release of the complete report, the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise and the Ministry of Finance have provided a more thorough overview of the reasons for making such adjustments.
The report states, “It is essential to shift the focus from what actions gambling companies may take to attract Swedish customers to whether companies take steps to prevent Swedes from participating.”
This document also highlights that when enacting the Gambling Act, the authorities chose to restrict the law’s reach to gambling aimed at Sweden, so that all online providers wouldn’t need to seek licenses. It states this overlooks the reality that providers can simply bar Swedish users from accessing their platforms.
The document acknowledges that the Swedish Gambling Authority cannot take action against all providers who don’t block Swedish users from accessing their platforms, but it still possesses more authority than it currently exercises.
The document proposes altering the way unlicensed gambling is handled, a suggestion that follows the Dutch Minister for Consumer Protection, Sander Dekker, announcing similar changes before the country’s online gambling market opened.
The document adds that it’s challenging to determine whether a site offers gambling services to Swedish players under the existing rules, particularly since many Swedes may be accustomed to using English-language sites and paying in euros.
Therefore, it believes the new approach is “significantly streamlined.”
“To ascertain whether online gaming falls under the Gambling Act, only consider whether players in Sweden can register and create accounts,” it states. “To implement the blocking of credit card payments, payment service providers can block payments to any provider that lacks a Swedish gambling license.”
Entertain, Kin, 888, Betsson, LeoVegas, and Casumo, together with other providers, barred Dutch patrons while applying for permits.
The document also presents justifications for further proposals.
For instance, Spelinspektionen might undertake “secret shopping” to determine if specific gambling sites are accessible to Swedish players. The document states that “covert oversight” is necessary to verify if operators accept Swedish clients.
The document also clarifies that it doesn’t believe all payment providers should be obligated to block all unlicensed websites, as this could impose an excessive burden on suppliers.
When examining recommendations related to match manipulation, the document outlines details about the reporting requirement proposition, such as mandating all operators to report any instances of professional athletes wagering that are suspected of violating match manipulation regulations.
The document observes that in Sweden, there is currently “no clear entity responsible for obtaining, organizing, analyzing, and sharing information about suspected match manipulation,” and certain data protection rules hinder information sharing.
The document also highlights that in the past, there have been suspicious betting activities in some matches, with some providers halting wagering while others did not.
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