SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Sweden’s gambling regulator Spelinspektionen has issued bans to two operators for unlicensed activity in the country.
The two companies in question – True Polygon Entertainment Limited and Smein Hosting NV – have been accused of providing unobstructed access to gambling on their main and affiliate websites (CSGOBIG, Gamdom) without having the required licence to do so.
These are the first two bans of 2024, with Spelinspektionen offering both companies a chance to respond in a timely manner if they want to dispute the decision.
The gambling authority has recently strengthened its collaboration with Swedish industry bodies like SPER and the Swedish Trade Association for Online Gambling, Branschföreningen för Onlinespel, to clamp down on illegal gambling in the country.
Moreover, in 2023 the Swedish government proposed changes to the 2018 Gambling Act to bolster consumer protections in place for online gambling.
The amendments are expected to come into effect this April, requiring online gambling licensees to better analyse data concerning players’ personal and financial health in an effort to curb harmful gambling.
Sweden’s Riksdag will also try to increase the gambling income taxes from 18% to 22% in 2024 to raise an additional SEK 540m (£39.4m) per year, with debates set to discuss 1 July as a target date.
This however has been met with some backlash from the horse racing sector, with the Swedish equestrian group ATG recently publishing a statement where it calls for a differentiated gaming tax instead of the proposed general hike.
