BOS Clashes with Spelinspektionen Over Proposed Betting Restrictions

Branschföreningen för Onlinespel (BOS), the trade association for online gaming in Sweden, has slammed Spelinspektionen, the gambling regulatory body of Sweden, for new proposed regulations that would ban betting on certain markets.

Some of the suggested bans include betting on yellow cards in football, as well as faults in tennis. In the eyes of Spelinspektoren, this would stop potential match-fixers from influencing players. The association argued that by removing these markets, it would be tougher to track suspicious activities.

“Of course, it is unfortunate to open the door to the decriminalisation of the manipulation of sports events. Spelinspektionen should, on the contrary, protect sports from cheating and these new opportunities for match fixing,” BOS Secretary Gustaf Hoffstedt said.

“The reasoning is that the new regulations should prevent match fixing, but in reality it clears the way for it. When you rob Swedish-licensed gaming companies of having complete betting portfolios, you hand over important parts of the market to unlicensed gaming companies,” Hoffstedt added.

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Swedish authorities have already made it clear that they intend to clamp down on illegal activities in online gambling this year.