Svenska Spel urges lottery betting ban in Sweden

Svenska Spel has called on the Swedish government to outlaw lottery betting in Sweden.

In a strongly worded statement, Svenska Spel CEO Patrik Hofbauer attacked so-called “shadow games” operators for diminishing returns to good causes by taking market share from not-for-profit lottery operators.

Qualifying this stance, Hofbauer cited a report by H2 Gambling Capital that claims lottery betting firms now account for 40% of the European online lottery market.

The H2 study confirmed European lottery betting company revenue accounted for between €1.25bn and €1.5bn of all online lottery revenue in 2019, with that figure estimated to increase at a rate of between 10% and 20% each year.

“The shadow gaming companies take market shares from the very part of the gaming market that the new gaming team would protect. If this development continues, funding for sports associations and charities will be adversely affected,” Hofbauer said.

“In short, all non-profit businesses that receive a portion of their revenue from public lotteries are affected,” he added.

There is already regulation to ban lottery betting in gambling territories including Australia and Denmark.

“We should introduce the same ban on betting on lotteries in Sweden. It is both right and reasonable,” Hofbauer added.

Elsewhere, reports in Sweden claim that Svenska Spel’s land-based Sundsvall casino may have to close due to the impact of coronavirus.

More than 150 people are currently employed at the property, which has been in operation since 2001.