Svenska Spel lays out slew of suggestions for gambling reforms
Summary
Svenska Spel has published a report with 18 proposals aimed at reshaping the Swedish gambling market to better protect consumers, curb illegal gambling and strengthen regulatory oversight. The proposals are grouped under two main themes: safeguarding the market and boosting consumer protection.
On the market side the report calls for a risk classification system in gambling law to treat high-risk products (eg online casino) differently from low-risk offerings (eg lotteries), clearer and stricter duty-of-care rules from the Swedish Gambling Authority, stronger enforcement with risk-based inspections and wider injunctive powers, DNS-blocking of unlicensed sites, and an expanded ban on promoting unlicensed gambling that would reach payment providers, communications services and social platforms.
For consumer protection Svenska Spel recommends tighter measures for vulnerable groups — notably under-25s and people re-entering the market after Spelpaus self-exclusion: stricter marketing limits, deposit caps, mandatory follow-up care calls for those who self-exclude, credit checks to detect risky behaviour, and a national register to block access to quick loans. Other suggestions include banning all gambling bonuses, prohibiting direct marketing to under-25s, long-term funding for addiction support services, improved Spelpaus functionality for operators to view exclusion histories, bank-level gambling transaction blocks, and banning the cancellation of pending withdrawals.
The report stresses rising problem gambling — especially linked to online casino play and growing among young people and women — and argues these proposals are pragmatic steps to preserve the regulated market and public trust, citing stronger international enforcement models as examples.
Key Points
- Svenska Spel proposes 18 reforms focused on market safeguarding and consumer protection.
- Introduce a legal risk classification for gambling products so high-risk games face stricter controls.
- Clarify and strengthen licence-holders’ duty of care with more detailed rules from the regulator.
- Call for tougher enforcement: risk-based inspections, injunctive powers and DNS-blocking of unlicensed sites.
- Extend prohibition on promoting unlicensed gambling to payment providers, communications services and social media.
- Target vulnerable groups: stricter limits on marketing and deposits for under-25s and those leaving Spelpaus.
- Offer mandatory independent care calls for all who self-exclude and improve Spelpaus operator access to exclusion histories.
- Allow credit checks and create a register to block quick loans to prevent gambling on borrowed money.
- Ban all bonuses, stop direct marketing to under-25s and fund long-term support for treatment organisations.
- Practical banking measures: let consumers block gambling transactions and ban cancelling pending withdrawals.
Why should I read this?
Short version: if you work in Swedish gambling, payments, regulation or support services — you need to know what might be coming. Svenska Spel isn’t just moaning; it’s laying out a concrete menu of legal and technical steps that could change how operators market, monitor and block play. Saves you the trouble of reading the whole report — here’s the nuts and bolts of what could hit policy and product roadmaps next.
Source
Source: https://next.io/news/regulation/svenska-spel-suggestions-gambling-reforms/