Swedish government to exclude sports betting from new deposit limit rules
Authorities target “especially risky” online casino games under amended proposals
The Swedish government said it will exclude sports betting and horseracing betting from new deposit limit proposals targeting increased consumer protection.
A new consultation document showcasing the amended rules, released over the weekend, would result in only online casino gaming being subject to a SEK5,000 (£415) a week deposit limit.
Swedish Minister for Social Affairs Ardalan Shekarabi cited online casino gambling as being “especially risky” to players in respect of encouraging gambling-related harm.
“We know that online casino has a special position when it comes to linking to gambling problems and with the new proposal it is made clear that different games pose different risks,” Shekarabi said.
Under the revised standards, players would also be required to set time limits when gambling online, with all one-time casino sign-up bonuses capped at just SEK100 (£8).
The government has confirmed that the SEK5,000 deposit limit will be applied to each licensee and will run from 2 July to the end of 2020.
The amendments follow an initial consultation by the Swedish government launched last month, with operators including Svenska Spel and the Swedish Gambling Authority all raising concerns about the new measures.
Gustaf Hoffstedt, CEO of Swedish trade association BOS, slammed the amended policies, claiming they were “impossible to understand” when addressing consumer protection of Swedish players.
“It is obvious that the government’s actions despite its rhetoric has nothing to do with consumer protection, but rather to do with an aim to provide benefits to gambling companies that are closely connected to the government,” Hoffstedt claimed.
Qualifying his claims, Hoffstedt singled out horseracing betting operator ATG, which has most of its board members appointed by the Swedish government.
“The government is aware of the alarming low channelisation for online casino, and it just doesn’t seem to care. It’s a huge loss for consumer protection in Sweden,” he added.