The Ministry of Finance has today issued a proposed extension of the restrictions for Swedish-licensed online casinos until November 14, with reference to Covid-19. If the government decides on another extension, this is the second time that the temporary restrictions have been extended.

– I have previously stated that there is nothing as lasting as a political promise of something temporary. The government seems unaware that their own expert authority, the Swedish Agency for Public Management, just over a week ago stated that the leakage from the Swedish gaming market to the unregulated gaming market is alarmingly high. The leakage for online casinos is particularly high, where as much as every fourth gaming krona is played outside the Swedish licensed market, says Gustaf Hoffstedt.

– To extend restrictions that are disapproved by gaming consumers is to ask for continued problems for the channeling into the licensed market when it comes to online casinos. Thus, Swedish gaming consumers will lose out on the consumer protection that the Swedish Parliament has decided will apply in our country. It is provocative that the Swedish government in a rhetoric about caring for the consumer in practice does the opposite and hurts the Swedish gaming license market with its strong consumer protection, Hoffstedt concludes.

The suggestion from the Ministry of Finance may be downloaded in Swedish here: https://www.regeringen.se/rattsliga-dokument/departementsserien-och-promemorior/2021/04/fortsatt-behov-av-spelansvarsatgarder-med-anledning-av-spridningen-av-sjukdomen-covid-19/

The report from The Swedish Agency for Public Management may be downloaded in Swedish here: https://www.statskontoret.se/nyheter/spelandet-hos-foretag-utan-svensk-licens-okade-under-2020/