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Sweden has failed to protect the vulnerable players

Published

5 years ago

November 13, 2020

Reading Time: 3 minutes

The Ministry of Finance has proposed that the temporary restrictions on the online gambling market, that were introduced on July 2 this year, should be extended to June 30, 2021. The proposed restrictions are a weekly deposit limit of a maximum of SEK 5,000 and that bonus offers are limited to a maximum of 100 SEK.

The Ministry of Finance claimed during the spring that the gaming on online casino was strongly increasing during the pandemic and that the government needed to protect the Swedish consumers.

The minister stated that there where an increase in problem gaming during the spring, but that statement was not based on facts. Neither The Swedish Gambling Authority nor other authorities did see that as a fact.

Scientific studies

This is also something that later on was proofed by scientific studies conducted. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2020.554542/full

“Results: Total gambling activity decreased by 13.29% during the first phase of the outbreak compared to forecast. Analyses of online gambling data revealed that although betting decreased substantially in synchrony with a slight increase in online casino gambling, there was no increase in likely problematic, high-intensity gambling and neither did total online gambling increase.

Conclusions: This first, preliminary study revealed no increase in Swedish gambling activity, total or specifically online, in the first phase of the covid-19 outbreak. Future research should examine whether pandemic-induced transitioning between gambling modalities and/or increased participation in gambling, leads to long-term effects on prevalence of problem gambling.”

Moving to the unlicensed market

Setting a deposit limit of 5,000 SEK per week does not solve the need to help people who have a gambling problem as it is always possible to gamble at different companies. Alternatively, you can play at the unlicensed companies. The effects will instead be that the individual gaming companies cannot follow the individual players’ behaviour and, if necessary, support it.

7 out of 10

It is an extremely worrying development in Sweden that 7 out of 10 of those who seek help for gambling problems have banned themselves from playing breaks and still continue to play. The idea of a game break is good, but there is a lack of power against the unlicensed gaming companies that target Swedish players and then the problems remain. A first step in resolving this is to prevent the possibility of paying with a number of well-known Swedish payment services at the unlicensed gaming companies. We have to close the holes! (https://www.spelfriheten.se/ Pelretin, organization for gambling addiction.)

This means that the blocking service Spelpaus (Spelpaus enables Swedish gamblers to paus them from all gambling on licensed operators https://www.spelpaus.se/ ) does not fulfil any major function as long as a number of different gaming companies without a Swedish gaming license are allowed to flourish freely. Several help seekers have also told us that these gaming companies provide the opportunity to pay with a number of well-known Swedish payment services

Lack of tax revenue

In 2019, the licensed companies in Sweden paid SEK 3.6 billion to the Treasury. An amount that is now steadily declining in step with the shift to the unlicensed companies.

Focusing on those who try to behave

No unlicensed company or person linked to unlicensed gaming activities has been fined or prosecuted since 1 January 2019, at the same time 26 fines have been issued for a total of 236.4 MSEK against the licensed gaming market.

The government’s mission should be to protect consumers and that should be their priority. On the contrary, the effects have been that they have shifted vulnerable players to the unlicensed companies. Sweden has failed to protect the vulnerable players and the extended regulations will not protect them.

David Yu Head of AM at VA Gaming

QTech Games marks another red-letter day with VA Gaming integration

Published

19 minutes ago

November 24, 2025

George Miller

qtech-games-marks-another-red-letter-day-with-va-gaming-integration

Reading Time: 2 minutes

QTech Games, the leading game aggregator for all emerging markets, has announced its latest premier provider partnership with VA Gaming, allowing its platform clients access to another igaming catalogue of over 70 titles.

Integrating content from one of the more innovative and creative digital slots providers adds yet more muscle to QTech Games’ aggregation platform, which is taking the widest range of online games to emerging territories with established names sitting alongside the industry’s most exciting up-and-coming providers.

VA Gaming’s portfolio has been optimised for mobile, a cornerstone of QTech’s offering, which is founded on its fully-owned and customised technical platform, affording games providers and operators the fastest integrations available. Through this leading platform, which has sealed its definitive status as a global gaming one-stop shop, clients enjoy the best performance and customer support available, localised to every region across both developing and more mature markets.

This collaboration naturally broadens VA Gaming’s international scope, unlocking untapped regions for diversified growth, above all in Africa and Latin America, where QTech Games continues to consolidate its firm foothold.

Philip Doftvik, QTech Games’ CEO, said: “Each new integration enriches our offering, and it’s particularly rewarding to support game providers who are actively expanding into ‘margin markets’ such as Latin America and Africa. These emerging markets are enjoying an irresistible momentum at present, so we’re excited to help VA Gaming bring their popular titles to market across many previously uncharted territories for them.”

David Yu, Head of AM at VA Gaming, added: “VA Gaming is artfully blending creativity and technology to craft unique, engaging online slots with distinctive graphics and features, generating a high-quality gaming experience. This integration is a key part of our unfolding worldwide distribution strategy, especially as we expand our focus in emerging markets, and we look forward to a long and successful collaboration.”

The post QTech Games marks another red-letter day with VA Gaming integration appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Balkans

EGT is among the main contenders for the prize in several categories at the BEGE Awards 2025

Published

19 minutes ago

November 24, 2025

George Miller

egt-is-among-the-main-contenders-for-the-prize-in-several-categories-at-the-bege-awards-2025

Reading Time: 2 minutes

EGT is thrilled to announce that this year it is among the finalists in 4 categories of the prestigious BEGE Awards competition, which is held annually in Sofia, Bulgaria, as part of BEGE Expo.

The company’s CEO Vladimir Dokov has been shortlisted again in the Visionary of the Year category, after being given this prize in the previous two editions of the event. He earned the nomination thanks to his strategic vision, which has positioned the company as one of the top manufacturers and suppliers of gaming equipment globally with a presence in more than 100 markets.

EGT’s slot cabinet G 50 C ST will compete for the award in the Slot Machine of the Year category. It is one of the most successful models from the General Series, which has had numerous highly successful installations in various markets around the world over the past year.

Bell Link is among the nominees for the Jackpot System of the Year accolade. With 4 exciting levels, numerous attractive bonus functionalities, and the captivating Bell Link 1 and Bell Link 2 multigames, containing some of the company’s most popular titles, this product has established itself as an absolute bestseller in EGT’s portfolio. Bell Link cemented its position as players’ favorite even further, after its first large-scale WAP installations were carried out with enormous success.

EGT’s Spider CMS will be а contender for the prize in the Casino Management System of the Year category. Continuously developing and improving, the system currently includes 15 modules that help casino managers easily and effectively to organize the daily activities in gaming venues across a number of markets around the world.

The BEGE Awards 2025 ceremony will take place on November 26 and will once again honor companies and individuals for their outstanding contribution to the gaming and entertainment industry during the past 12 months.

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Alibaba’s Cave of Fortune

PG Soft welcomes players into Alibaba’s Cave of Fortune

Published

1 hour ago

November 24, 2025

George Miller

pg-soft-welcomes-players-into-alibaba’s-cave-of-fortune

Reading Time: 2 minutes

PG Soft, a world-class digital mobile games company, is inviting players into Alibaba’s Cave of Fortune in the hope of discovering magical treasures.

Alibaba’s Cave of Fortune is a 5-reel, 3-row classic slot game that shines with a superb Bonus Feature and Coin symbols that can be collected by Collector symbols. Set within the fabled cave that radiates with golden promise, this title is brought to life by a captivating soundtrack that oozes mystery and adventure.

A Wild symbol substitutes for all symbols except Coin symbols and Collector symbols, and it can only appear on reels two, three, four, and five.

During the main game, Coin symbols and Collector symbols have the potential to land on any reels. If there is one or more Collector symbols and a minimum of one Coin symbol on the reels, each Coin symbol will show a value between 1x to 10x – and wins are paid for every Collector symbol on the reels.

The Bonus Feature is activated when six or more Coin symbols appear anywhere on the reels, awarding an initial three spins. When four or five Coin symbols hit, they may randomly reveal more Coins to top up the total to six to launch the bonus. Once in the feature, only Collector symbols, Coin symbols, and Mini, Minor, Major, or Grand prize symbols appear.

After every bonus spin, all positions without Coin symbols, Mini symbols, Minor symbols, Major symbols and Grand symbols will spin to reveal either Collector symbols or nothing. If a Collector symbol lands, it collects the values from prize symbols on screen. Coin prizes range from 1x–10x, Mini awards 20x, Minor 50x, Major 500x, and the Grand symbol delivers an impressive 5000x the bet.

PG Soft’s spokesperson commented: “Alibaba’s Cave of Fortune is a jewel in the desert sands, promising treasures beyond belief to those who can find a way through the traps and puzzles. Each spin is a step closer to claiming Alibaba’s legendary fortune.”

The post PG Soft welcomes players into Alibaba’s Cave of Fortune appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.