Op-Ed: Nobody Likes Gambling Advertising – But it’s Actually Important

On Tuesday, February 6, Expressen published the op-ed “Nobody likes gambling advertising – but it’s actually important” signed by Gustaf Hoffstedt, Secretary General, The Swedish Trade Association for Online Gambling. In the article, Hoffstedt argues against the fact that the political board of Stockholm’s public transport SL has announced that it intends to ban advertising for online gambling.

According to SL’s own calculations, gambling advertising alone brings in roughly SEK 20 million per year. Together with proposed advertising bans on other products and services that displease the political board, SL’s revenue loss could exceed SEK 50 million per year. It is lost money that either leads to increased ticket prices or missed investments in Stockholm’s public transport.

In the article, Gustaf Hoffstedt argues against the political board’s proposal and highlights, among other things, that advertising in public transport helps the consumer to navigate among licensed gambling operators and strengthen channelisation.

“It is fundamentally alarming when the regional politicians in Stockholm now review decisions made in what is supposed to be Sweden’s only legislative assembly: the Riksdag,” says Gustaf Hoffstedt.