Sweden's New Regime Launches Implementation By Issuing New Licencees
Published December 8, 2018 by Lee R
The nature of the new liberalised regulation structure is now being sussed in public purview with the first round of Sweden's licences.
Well, the time has come for the first round of Sweden licences, which is seen by many as a new era in iGaming.
New System
The replacement of the world's largest monopoly in Scandinavia's richest country sets the profile for how regulation will work in the opening phase of a liberalised Swedish market.
New Licencing Accomplished
The announcement of the new list by the Lotteriinspektionen regulatory body included 16 recipients.
The issuance of this list was an epochal moment which Lotteriinspektionen director-general Camilla Rosenberg called “a historic day for the game.”
She further praised her staff for laboring “under severe pressure” since August 1st to process 95 gambling licence applications, of which 70 were for online operations.
New Licencees
Accepted new licencees include the state-run former gambling monopolies Svenska Spel and AB Trav & Galopp (ATG), whom it turns out are also quite pleased to be out from under the oppressive regime, as evinced by the many supplier deals they have been closing to expand online casino products since liberalisation was announced.
Others accepted include Swedish groups with international licences Kindred Group (whose brands include Unibet and Maria); and mobile casino specialists LeoVegas and Betsson (Nordicbet and Sverigeautomaten); as well as Bet365, Casumo, GVC Holdings’ Bwin and PartyGaming brands, Interwetten, Skill On Net, SuprPlay Ltd and Tombola.
Limited Licences
Meanwhile, some new licencees saw their past haunts them, with Casumo, GVC and LeoVegas receiving limited two-year licences, compared to the standard five-year duration, with Rosenberg calling for a need to follow said companies “extra carefully” due to “past offenses in other markets.”
These offenses would include UK Gambling Commission slips such as Casumo's recent fine for failing to protect customers from gambling harm, and LeoVegas and GVC's earlier flag for what the UKGC deemed misleading advertising and bonus offers.
Licences Delayed
Some big name applicants were told to wait as well, with resolution promised by Lotteriinspektionen operations manager Patrik Gustavsson “over the next few weeks, depending on the complexity of the case.”
Outlook
The new standards for acceptance in Sweden have yet to become transparent, but seemed destined timed to be revealed in coordination with the rebranding of Lotteriinspektionen for the new year, leaving the iGaming community to hope a new look in Sweden leads to effective regulation under the Spelinspektionen.
