Government enquiry outlines future Swedish gambling market

edish governmental enquiry has proposed that the country’s regulated gambling firms should be allowed to offer online casino gambling to its customers, in an effort to increase competition in the industry.

The enquiry has called for the creation of a licensing system which would allow gambling operators to apply for licences for specific areas of casino gaming. It also proposes allowing Swedish casino operators to offer online casino gaming, something which regulated firms in the country like Svenska Spel and ATG are currently prohibited from doing.

State-owned casino Svenska Spel have already expressed an interest in adding online casino gaming to its casino offering, with many other firms tipped to follow suit should the proposed system be implemented.

Sweden's online gaming market is growing, but is dominated by overseas firms like Bet365, Unibet and Betsson. According to media consultancy Mediavision, an average of between 200,000 and 230,000 gamblers are using these casinos every month.

Competition between these firms is fierce, with online casino advertisements accounting for every tenth minute of commercial airtime on Swedish television.

However, the vast majority of Swedish gamblers still use the country’s regulated casinos, and it is hoped that this new system will increase regulated firms’ revenue by levelling the playing field between Swedish casinos and foreign casino firms currently operating in Sweden.