BOS calls for early end to Swedish online casino restrictions
Trade body requests 29 September cut-off as Swedish government prepares to lift Covid-19 work-from-home restrictions
BOS has called on the Swedish government to bring forward an end to temporary online casino restrictions from 14 November to 29 September to coincide with the country’s lifting of Covid-19 measures.
In a letter, the operator trade body highlighted the lack of supporting evidence for the Swedish government’s “assumption” that online casino gambling would increase due to the coronavirus pandemic.
BOS also pointed to a recent study by the International Gaming Research Unit at Nottingham Trent University as confirming that gambling rates were unaffected by the temporary restrictions.
The study, carried out by Professor Mark Griffiths between January 2020 and May 2020, found that the number of Swedish gaming consumers increased during the first phase of the pandemic, but the size of average bets decreased.
Research carried out as part of the study also found that Swedish consumers with a higher risk of problem gambling reduced their frequency of gambling during the period.
The Swedish government first imposed temporary restrictions on online casino gameplay in June 2020 with a proviso for them to expire in June 2021. However, these were further extended to expire in November.
The bulk of the Covid-19 restrictions imposed on Swedish citizens are due to be lifted on 29 September, including the withdrawal of current Swedish Public Health Agency guidance advising people to work from home.
BOS has long opposed the Swedish government’s stance on temporary Covid-19 restrictions for online casinos, claiming the imposed measures decreased channelisation to the licensed market.
Statistics produced by BOS throughout the pandemic appear to suggest that online casino channelisation could have fallen to as low as 75%.
The restrictions included a weekly SEK5,000 (£420) deposit limit, a maximum bonus cap of SEK100 and time limits on online casino gameplay.
Reiterating his opposition to the restrictions, BOS CEO Gustaf Hoffstedt said: “The main argument from the government for the restrictions was a concern that increased time spent at home during the pandemic would lead to increased gambling problems.
“That did not happen, it would turn out.
“Now that the Swedish Public Health Agency is also lifting the recommendation to work from home from 29 September, we believe that the government should lift the temporary restrictions for online casinos on the same date in the name of consistency,” he added.
Swedish Minister for Social Affairs Ardalan Shekarabi has long defended his stance on the issue amid criticism, most recently from the Riksdag Constitutional Committee, which claimed Shekarabi ignored contrary evidence before imposing the temporary Covid-19 restrictions.