Compliance Updates

Is Political Tension Changing Sweden’s Gambling Laws?

Published

3 years ago

August 2, 2021

George Miller

Is Political Tension Changing Sweden's Gambling Laws?

Photo: Christine Olsson/TT via AP

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Sweden has had a hectic year in the political world, with the coronavirus, the government drama, and backlash from the online gaming industry.

Sweden started in 2019 with a prime minister that barely made it into office. Facing a pandemic and then heavy restrictions of gambling, he quickly began to lose support. It finally came to a head when his party lost faith in him and voted no confidence. Löfven ended up resigning, stating it was because the government needed someone whose party would back them. Out of a job for only a month, he was re-elected by Parliament and chose to come back. Though Löfven has said, he would resign again if not able to pass the budget through parliament in autumn.

It’s not only Löfven who has been the target of heavy criticism. One of his closest allies, Ardalan Shekarabi, the minister for Consumer Affairs, has had his share of criticism as well. This stems from his work to regulate the gambling industry in the country. The primary criticism is connected to the fact that the government has interests in two gambling companies, Svenska Spel and ATG. Svenska Spel is fully owned and controlled by the government, and ATG is partially owned. This creates a very sensitive situation because they compete with private gambling companies. Svenska Spel has an unprecedented position among all the betting companies in the country, largely due to their many exclusive products. Furthermore, ATG enjoys a monopoly on all forms of horse racing which is extremely popular in Sweden. Hundreds of millions SEK is wagered every month in their exclusive horse betting products, and the monopoly enables ATG an exclusive opportunity to cross promote and expose their users to casino games and sports betting.

Strict rules proves hard to follow

On another note, there are a lot of rules in place that frustrates the gambling operators. One of the many rules in the new regulation package has to do with bonus offers. The bonus offers can not exceed the value of 100 SEK (about €10) and is only a one time offer per license and customer. Since many companies operate several casinos under the same license, customer confusion arises when they are ineligible to receive a bonus from a casino that appears “new” to them. In order to make sense of where to actually find a new casino bonus, it presupposes that the customer is fully informed about all the casinos and the license from which they operate. For many people it demands an extreme amount of research even though there are websites such as bastacasinobonus.se which tries to assist in this process.

There have been many cases where a licensed operator has been found guilty of breaching the current bonus rules. ATG and Svenska Spel have repeatedly done so themselves, but gotten out of it with warnings or minor fines. Other companies though have been fined amounts up to 100 million SEK in seemingly small instances such as when a refer-a-friend program was deemed illegal.

Recently the SGA (Swedish Gambling Association) lost a court case against Betsson Nordic. SGA claimed the gambling company was offering illegal bonuses and incentives. SGA tried to fine over SEK 20 million(£1.6m), saying it added costs over the years. The court, however, ruled in favour of Betsson Nordic, saying the fine lacked legal grounds. Usually though, the betting companies has little success contesting the rulings.

Sweden’s Government Facing Heavy Criticism

The Swedish Trade Association for Online Gambling, or BOS (Branschföreningen för Onlinespel), represents gambling companies and game developers that target Swedish consumers. With members, BOS promotes integrity and responsibility within the industry, a safe gaming market, and shares knowledge of the industry. They also consider social protection to be given priority.

BOS has called out to the government to end the recently extended temporary restrictions following criticism of constraints by the Committee on the Constitution. As time continues on, more and more organisations and people advocate for the lift in the temporary laws. The Committee on the Constitution has the task of preparing matters concerning the Constitution. It also examines the work of the Government and government officials and is to inform the Riksdag of the results.

BOS also believes the government wanted to introduce a new gambling bill to the Riksdag before the general election. Possible extending the already extended gambling laws. Löfven has said that they are not focusing on new bills at the moment, as the fragile government is taking priority.

So when will laws change?

With all the chaos, it is hard to say if there are any changes coming soon to Sweden. Things are constantly being talked about, and dates are being proposed. However, the only concrete dates we have are the temporary gambling restrictions being removed in November of this year.

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Compliance Updates

Acquiring a Curacao Online Gaming License in 2024: Comprehensive Analysis of Financial & Procedural Aspects with Costs & Timelines Detailed

Published

4 hours ago

July 26, 2024

Peter Tolan

Reading Time: 2 minutes

The “Acquiring a Curacao Online Gaming License, 2024: Comprehensive Analysis of Financial & Procedural Aspects with Costs & Timelines Detailed” report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com’s offering.

This report includes valuable insights into the financial and procedural aspects, including detailed information on costs and timelines associated with acquiring a Curacao license.

In 2023, Curacao introduced the “Landsverordening op de kansspelen” (Ordinance on Games of Chance) to modernize and regulate gambling legislation. Since March 2020, the Gambling Control Board (GCB) has been authorized to regulate offshore gambling games and oversee the issuance of Curacao licenses. As of 2023, there are 16 companies providing legal services for registration and licensing in the territory of Curacao. The license fee, as per GCB regulations, is 36,000 ANG or 19,800 USD, payable upon license issuance.

Research Timeline and Data Relevance

The research was conducted in two stages. The first stage, studying the regulator and Open Data Search, took place in December 2023. The second stage, writing the report and partially updating the data from the first stage, took place from the end of April to the end of May 2024.

Goals and Objectives

Describe the information about the Curacao license and the issuing regulator.
Describe the requirements and conditions for obtaining a Curacao license.
Describe the costs and timelines for obtaining a Curacao license.
Briefly study the market, find and suggest the following lists:
- Legal companies offering services for company registration and obtaining a Curacao license;
- Communication agents and integrators working with the Curacao license;
- Suppliers and vendors working with the Curacao license;
- Payment systems working with the Curacao license.

Key Topics Covered:

1. Goals and Objectives

2. Research Timeline and Data Relevance

Document Markup
Raw and Combined Data
Terms & Glossary

3. General Information

The Regulator
- Registration of Operators With Sublicense
- Application for an Online Gaming License

4. Requirements and Conditions for Obtaining a License

License Conditions

General Prohibitions
Safe and Secure Environment
Equipment and Application Software
Player Registration
Payment Transactions
Games
Terms of Use
Resolution of Complaints
Administrative Responsibilities
Publicly Available Information
Reports
Policies and Procedures
Suspension and Revocation of License
Additional Conditions
Supervision

Recommendations or Minimum Requirements for the Business Plan

5. The Cost of the License

6. Decision Term and the Validity of the License

7. Application Method and Forms

8. Contact Information

9. Companies for Registration and Licensing

10. Integration Companies

11. Suppliers and Vendors

12. Payment Systems

13. META

14. Appendix: Terms & Glossary

For more information about this report visit researchandmarkets.com/r/izeo6g

Compliance Updates

Digitain Obtained Greek License

Published

15 hours ago

July 26, 2024

George Miller

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Digitain obtained the A1 Manufacturer’s License from the Hellenic Gaming Commission.

Digitain, a global leader in Sportsbook and iGaming solutions, has expanded its presence in European regulated market by obtaining a B2B license from the Hellenic Gaming Commission.

Iain Hutchison, Chief Revenue Officer of Digitain, said: “We are delighted that we have attained our B2B license from the Hellenic Gaming Commission. Digitain continues to expand across multiple regulated jurisdictions, and the Greek license is a further example of our vision and that of our teams’ commitment to regulatory compliance and the exemplary standards of our platform technology and focus as a company. We look forward to having our award-winning sportsbook and Centrivo platform and much more available within the Greek market as one of continental Europe’s largest and growing regulated markets.”

Compliance Updates

Hard Rock Casino NL turns to BetComply for Netherlands launch

Published

2 days ago

July 25, 2024

George Miller

Hard Rock Casino NL turns to BetComply for Netherlands launch

Reading Time: < 1 minute

BetComply, iGaming’s most trusted technical and regulatory compliance firm, has partnered with iCasino, securing a Dutch licence for their recently-launched Hard Rock Casino brand.

HardRockCasino.nl operated by iCasino b.v. under a brand licence agreement announced its Netherlands launch at the start of July, having worked closely with BetComply to secure a licence from the Dutch regulator de Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) in May.

The brand will continue to work with BetComply to ensure on-going compliance within the Netherlands framework.

iCasino CEO Paul Strikers said: “It’s hugely exciting to bring such a globally renowned brand to the Dutch market for the first time. We understood early on in the process that operator compliance needed to be one of our highest priorities, and that’s why we enlisted the help of BetComply and its unparalleled expertise in the Netherlands. We thank Mike and the team for their tireless and rigorous support on our successful licence application, and look forward to building upon this partnership in the future; the first step being the application for a sports betting licence.”

BetComply Chief Compliance Officer Mike de Graaff added: “The Netherlands market has attracted some huge international brands over recent months, underlining the opportunities on offer for those who build a deep understanding of their regulatory obligations. We’ve already helped more than a third of all licence holders in the country, and with the KSA taking a proactive approach across all elements of regulation, we’ll continue to support our partners, including iCasino, as market conditions evolve.”

With recent high-profile reports of serious misconduct within the iGaming compliance space, it has never been more important to pick a trusted and reliable partner, both in the Netherlands and elsewhere.