Swedish Gambling Authority under scrutiny as Government reviews regulatory framework
A report from the National Audit Office has concluded that supervision of Sweden's gambling market lacks sufficient effectiveness to meet the expectations established during the 2019 market re-regulation.
Key points:
– The Swedish National Audit Office has criticised the Gambling Authority’s oversight as insufficient and ineffective
– The Government has acknowledged these concerns and is taking measures to strengthen regulatory supervision
The Swedish National Audit Office has released a report assessing the effectiveness of the Swedish Gambling Authority’s (Spelinspektionen) supervision of the country’s gambling market.
The findings highlight significant shortcomings, concluding that current oversight does not meet the expectations set by the Riksdag and the Government during the 2019 re-regulation of the gambling market.
The report states that the Swedish Gambling Authority conducts too few inspections, lacks a well-founded risk analysis process when selecting operators for supervision and fails to sufficiently follow up on reported deficiencies.
Additionally, the National Audit Office points out that the current scope of the Gambling Act complicates efforts to combat illegal gambling.
In response, the Swedish Government acknowledged the report’s findings and agreed that Spelinspektionen has faced challenges in carrying out effective supervision.
Good to know: The Government has already taken steps to try and strengthen regulatory oversight, including appointing an expert to assist the Ministry of Finance in reviewing the Gambling Act’s scope
This review aligns with the Government’s broader initiative to close legal loopholes that allow unlicensed operators to target Swedish players.
Under existing regulations, offshore operators can accept Swedish customers as long as they do not use the Swedish language or currency. The Government is now evaluating potential legislative changes to prevent this practice.
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