Sweden considers ban on gambling advertising
A new investigation into gambling advertising in Sweden will consider a series of new controls to stop what lawmakers consider to be overly aggressive marketing practices by licensed gambling operators in the country, including a total ban on advertising.
The investigation will be handled by the Gaming Market Commission (Spelmarknadsutredningen). The Commission was established in 2018 to assess the impact of increased regulation on the Swedish horse racing and sports industry and to examine measures to reduce the harmful effects of gambling.
Spelmarknadsutredningen has now been tasked with developing additional measures to limit gambling advertising in the country and has been asked to submit a report on this by 1 October 2021.
It has been asked to consider a number of options, including whether special controls should be introduced for specific categories, similar to those applied to alcohol advertising.
It will also consider whether certain elements advertised, such as bonuses, jackpots and free spins, should be restricted and whether more emphasis should be placed on additional information about gambling, such as the likelihood of winning.
In addition, Spelmarknadsutredningen will consider stricter controls, such as restricting gambling advertising during sports broadcasts, special restrictions for games where there is a higher risk of players developing problem gambling habits. He was also asked to assess the impact of a partial or total ban on gambling advertising.
The move comes amid growing concerns over "excessive" advertising by operators in the market, when Civil Affairs Minister Ardalan Shekarabi first warned licensees to curtail marketing in February this year. He urged operators to develop a strategy to ensure responsible advertising by the end of March.
In March, the country's regulatory body Spelinspektionen outlined plans to crack down on excessive advertising. This was followed by a new industry code of conduct established by the operator associations Spelbranschens Riksförbund (SPER) and Branschföreningen för Onlinespel (BOS).
"The measures presented to me by the industry contained useful elements, but they were not enough to deal with the situation," Shekarabi said in a conversation with the Swedish portal https://casinonutansvensklicens.net/.
"The government is now taking further action to stop aggressive gambling advertisements," he said. "This is about protecting consumers in Sweden."
Svenska Spel, which competes with private operators through its subsidiary Svenska Spel Sport & Casino, has already decided to stop advertising its online casino offerings by the end of 2019.
Spelmarknadsutredningen is a 19-member commission headed by special investigator Anna-Lena Sorenson, a former member of parliament.
Sweden's newly regulated market generated a turnover of SEK3.29bn (£271.3m / €313.8m / $352.8m) in the first quarter of 2019. Former horse racing betting monopoly AB Trav och Galopp (ATG) leads the market with a turnover of SEK1. 07 billion, of which Svenska Spel Sport & Casino accounted for SEK 577 million. Private operators accounted for SEK 1.64 billion in turnover.
