A memorandum has been issued that seeks to impose an application fee of SEK 120,000 ($12,046) for a gaming software licence.
The proposal, which has been submitted for consultation until 9 May, would also double the cost of renewing a licence for commercial online gaming and betting, from SEK 300,000 to SEK 600,000.
Several other amendments are included in the Ministry’s memorandum, including a requirement that gaming software licensees must save data “for as long as is necessary for the Swedish Gambling Authority (SGA) to be able to exercise its supervision.”
Moreover, the SGA may charge a fee from a licensee for any supervision exercised, while the cost of changing a gaming software licence would be set at SEK 30,000.
The Ministry further proposed that, if a licensee “is not resident or established in a country within the European Economic Area,” it must have a physical representative who is resident in Sweden.
And under the memorandum’s terms, a licensee would pay SEK 800 for changing its physical representative.
“The proposal aims to gain control over software development and gives the Swedish Gambling Authority a new tool in the work of excluding unlicensed gaming from the Swedish gaming market,” stated the Ministry of Finance.
“The exclusion of unlicensed gambling is a prerequisite for being able to ensure a high level of consumer protection and that gambling takes place with responsible actors.”
Should these amendments be approved, they are expected to come into force on 1 March 2023.
