BOS in letter to the Government: appoint a new Gambling Inquiry

BOS – The Swedish Trade Association for Online Gambling – is today sending a letter to the Ministry of Finance with a proposal to appoint a new gambling inquiry. The inquiry’s task should be to propose measures that strengthen the proportion of legal, licensed gambling in Sweden, that is, the so-called channelization.

The Swedish Gambling Authority confirmed earlier this week in a report that the state’s goal with the gambling policy regarding its channelization is not being reached. The goal is at least 90 percent channelization, but Sweden only reaches 85 percent. And for online casino, the product category where it is most important for consumer protection reasons that the proportion of legally licensed gambling is the highest, it is actually the lowest (72-82%).

During September this year, government investigator Marcus Isgren is expected to present a proposal that aims to strengthen channelization within one area, namely the so-called scope of application of the Gambling Act. It is a welcome proposal, but few stakeholders believe that this single adjustment is enough to achieve the goal of the gambling policy, at least 90 percent channelization.

For this reason, BOS is proposing today in its letter to the Ministry of Finance that the government appoint a new broad gambling inquiry, with the task of proposing measures that strengthen channelization in the Swedish gambling market. Among the proposals that should be considered, BOS mentions a somewhat less rigid regulation of loyalty bonuses, which are currently completely prohibited.

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BOS Secretary General Gustaf Hoffstedt comments:

“We hope that the government will take to heart the serious situation for the licensed gambling market, most recently confirmed in the Gambling Authority’s report on the proportion of unlicensed gambling in Sweden. The appointment of a broad inquiry tasked with preventing leakage to the unlicensed gambling market would undoubtedly be this government’s most important measure to protect and strengthen the legal regulated gambling market, before Sweden goes to the polls in September next year.”