Svenska Spel renews calls for offshore advertising crackdown
Monopoly operator says it cannot compete with foreign operators for prime television spots despite supposed advertising ban
Svenska Spel has called for tougher enforcement of Sweden’s ban on unlicensed gambling advertising claiming foreign operators have a stranglehold on the top television advertising spots.
All advertising from foreign operators is prohibited in Sweden, although a legal loophole makes it tough for criminal actions to be brought against firms which are not based within the country.
It is estimated around 75% of the country’s total egaming marketing spend comes from offshore operators, and Svenska Spel’s head of sponsorship Håkan Solberg told eGaming Review the operator can no longer compete financially for the best spots.
“At half-time of any big football match on TV there are lots of foreign gaming companies advertising, but we don’t have the money to compete for these slots,” Solberg said.
“The problem is that [foreign operators] don’t care about Swedish law due to low risk of legal action from authorities,” he added.
Solberg added he was hopeful authorities would take a tougher stance, saying Svenska Spel had recently seen a legal proposal outlining plans to crackdown on foreign advertising.
But any movement on the issue may be delayed as Sweden prepares for a major inquiry into the re-regulation and opening up of its market.
eGR understands the directives for the inquiry should be released in the coming weeks, with new regulation pencilled in for 2018.
In the meantime, rather than attempt to compete for prime television spots, Svenska Spel has focused much of its marketing activity on sports sponsorships, recently agreeing a renewed six-year, SEK48m (£3.7m) deal with HockeyAllsvenskan, the second-tier of the Swedish ice hockey league.
In July, Svenska Spel failed to reach an agreement for a new deal with the top-tier Swedish Hockey League, ending a 20-year association with the competition, although pledged to redirect the money in a move likely to keep 2015 marketing spend at around the same £46m as last year.