Operators ramp up Swedish marketing spend ahead of regulation
Report claims firms including LeoVegas, Kindred and Svenska Spel increased their advertising spend significantly in 2017
Swedish operators LeoVegas, Svenska Spel and Kindred are among the top 20 companies to increase their marketing spend in Sweden in 2017, according to a new report.
Figures released Thursday by the Swedish Advertising Association (Sverige Annonsorer) said LeoVegas had invested SEK 314,020 (£27,931) in local advertising in 2017, an 83% increase on the previous year.
Svenska Spel also increased its marketing spend by 20% in 2017 to SEK 472,265 (£42,021), while Kindred Group boosted its own budget by 12.2% to SEK 443,090 (£39,425).
Spokesperson for the Swedish Advertising Association, Tero Marjamäki said gambling operators had increased their investments in local advertising ahead of the upcoming regulation in 2019.
“In particular, the companies increased their advertising investments in broad channels such as TV and outdoor, but also on the internet where their business is located,” Marjamäki added.
The rise in investment comes despite a number of warnings by the authorities to operators to cease advertising locally.
However, director general of the regulator, Camilla Rosenberg previously told EGR the authority would continue to target media companies rather than the operators themselves.
In related news, a court in Denmark has ruled that 24 unlicensed operators targeting Danish players should be blocked by local internet providers.
CEO of the Danish regulator, Birgitte Sand, said: “When the authority finds websites which offer illegal gambling, it is looked upon with much seriousness.
“We largely use our authority to block the pages to protect the players, but of course also to protect the licensees who have a licence to provide gambling in Denmark,” she added.