Unibet criticism of casino plans is wrong, says Svenska Spel

Svenska Spel has hit back at Unibet CEO Henrik Tjärnström’s comments in which he suggested the state-owned monopoly should not be permitted to extend its product range into online casino.

With Sweden’s regulatory framework facing European infringement proceedings, Tjärnström said allowing Svenska Spel to add casino at this point in time would be like “putting fuel on the fire” and doubted whether the regulator would give it the go-ahead.

However speaking to eGaming Review this morning, a spokesperson for Svenska Spel insisted that the move into online casino would meet Swedish consumers’ demands for “attractive gaming operations”.

“Our online casino application corresponds well with our mandate,” the spokesperson said. “Achieving other social responsibility objectives, strengthening consumer protection and curbing illegal or otherwise uncontrolled gaming operations starts with us being a credible and attractive market alternative.”

Svenska Spel refused to comment on the current infringement proceedings between the Swedish government and the European Commission, and said that any comment on the prospective Danish-style licensing model that has been proposed for the country would be “pure speculation”.

The Swedish government announced in April this year that it is to present online gaming regulation plans later this year but did not rule out strengthening Svenska Spel’s monopoly.