Latest News
BOS op-ed: “Svenska Spel’s betting company must be sold by the state”

Dagens Nyheter – Sweden’s largest morning paper – today published an op-ed signed Gustaf Hoffstedt, Secretary General of The Swedish Trade Association for Online Gambling. Hoffstedt is urging the government to sell the betting and online casino part of the governmental gambling operator Svenska Spel.
We are pleased to bring you the English version of the editorial which you can read in full below:
Sell Svenska Spel
Since 2019, Sweden has had a licensing system for gambling companies. Anyone who wants to operate in the Swedish gambling market must have a state license. As of 2019, there are two types of gambling markets; partly a monopoly that mainly offers lotteries, for example, the popular Trisslotten. In this market, private profit–making gambling companies are not allowed to operate. Partly a commercial competitive gambling market that mainly offers online casinos and betting, for example betting on horses and football. In this market, private commercial gambling companies can apply for and be awarded a license to operate in the Swedish gambling market.
Through Svenska Spel, the state is active in both of these markets, but now the time has come to divest Svenska Spel Sport & Casino, i.e. the part of the company that is active in the commercial, competitive gambling market.
Around 70 gambling companies are fighting for market share in the part of the gambling market that is open to competition and offers online casinos as well as betting on horses, football, other sports, and even who will win the next parliamentary election or Schlagerfestivalen. One of these companies is state–owned: Svenska Spel. It is difficult to find arguments for continued government commercial involvement in that market.
Normally, the state usually engages in business activities when the market itself has failed, above all in terms of competition. There may be too few players in a market and the few that exist may have too dominant a position for competition to function. Then the state steps in as a commercial actor with the ambition of countering that market failure. However, no one who has followed developments in the Swedish gambling market can claim that there is too little competition between the 70 companies that operate in competitive gambling. Competition is fierce and would remain so even in the absence of the state as a commercial casino operator and bookmaker in betting.
Another argument for conducting state–owned commercial gambling activities could be a desire to act as an example for all other companies on the market, for example in not producing as much gambling advertising as the competitors. Anyone who has followed Svenska Spel’s marketing since the reregulation knows, however, that the company is one of Sweden’s largest advertisers in all categories, i.e. including gambling but also other large advertising buyers such as grocers and car manufacturers. Svenska Spel’s extensive advertising purchases rather force the private gambling companies to make larger advertising purchases on their part than would otherwise have been the case.
“A state–owned gambling company that operates in direct competition with others is, in principle, like any other gambling company,” says the government investigation from 2017, which was the basis for the Swedish reregulation of the gambling market. That’s exactly how it is; Svenska Spel Sport & Casino has exactly the same license as other gambling companies. They follow exactly the same responsible gambling regulations, and they do it no better or worse than their competitors. They pay exactly the same gambling tax as all other gambling companies. Therefore, the logical consequence already became apparent to the Gambling License Investigation six years ago: “The conclusion is, according to the investigation, that the best alternative would be to divest the competition part.” [A reregulated gaming market, SOU 2017:30, p. 34]
So the only remaining question is why hasn’t the company been sold yet?
Perhaps an argument for keeping the company under state auspices could be its return to the state. But the idea is of course not for the company to be liquidated, but on the contrary to be sold to the highest bidder and then continue to be run, albeit privately. With the same requirement to pay gambling tax.
Not entirely surprisingly, there is a classic division here between political parties on the right and the left. Parties on the left view positively that the state owns companies and runs businesses, while parties on the right do not. This is also the case in this matter, and before the reregulation, the center-right parties had to waive stricter demands for the divestment of Svenska Spel Sport & Casino in order for the Social Democrat–led government to agree to introduce the gambling license system we have today.
Now that time is over and we have a new government, which together with the Sweden Democrats forms a majority in the Riksdag. The moderates have long advocated a divestment of Svenska Spel Sport & Casino, as have the Sweden Democrats. The voters who have given the center-right parties the power to rule Sweden have very reasonable expectations that the government will now move from words to action.
This is really nothing new for a center-right government. The last time Sweden had such a government, it concluded that the fact that the Swedish state had then become one of the world’s largest producers of alcohol was not in line with the government’s idea of what a state should do. Thus Vin & Sprit AB was sold in 2008, with the Absolut brand, for 55 billion kronor to France’s Pernod Ricard, which still runs the business for the benefit of Scanian grain farmers, among others.
It is now high time that our own contemporary anomaly, the state’s role as a casino operator and bookmaker, found an end. And unlike the long–awaited introduction of gambling licenses, which took place at the initiative of the Social Democrats, it would be desirable for this to happen during a center-right wing government in power. What else should it have the power for, if not to implement what it said in opposition it wanted to do?
Gustaf Hoffstedt
Secretary General, The Swedish Trade Association for Online Gambling
[Gustaf Hoffstedt is among the speakers of the Prague Gaming & TECH Summit which will be held between 29-30 March 2023. More details about the summit can be found here.]
Gaming
NAILED IT! GAMES TAKES GRIM REAPER SUPERMATCH™ LIVE EXCLUSIVELY WITH SELECT OPERATORS

Nailed It! Games, an independent Krakow-based games studio, is giving players early access to its new slot, Grim Reaper Supermatch™, launching exclusively with select operators before its worldwide debut.
The second release from the provider to feature the innovative Supermatch™ mechanic, the title is packed with 10 thrilling features that can transform gameplay and provide big winning opportunities.
Players reveal five Halloween-themed symbols on the bottom row during a spin. Landing three or more matching symbols unlocks the next row, with six rows to climb in total.
Between two and eight Blue Souls appear on the game grid each spin, before being collected in the Soulcatcher Chest as symbols are revealed. Filling the chest will unlock the Soulcatcher Bonus, triggering a spin with special symbols that could grant a win of 5,000x the bet.
Reaching the third row activates the Halfway Bonus, triggering one of five features that can respin a non-winning row, turn all non-winning symbols into winning ones, upgrade them to higher-paying symbols, apply a x2 multiplier or add extra Souls to the Soulcatcher Chest.
Should players reach the sixth and final row, the Mega Respin feature is activated. Here, every matched symbol becomes sticky and the rest respin, boosting winning potential to hair-raising heights.
A Free Spins bonus round can also be unlocked when landing three or more Scatters on a single spin. Blue Souls become Red during this bonus, adding to the Free Spins Soul Collection for chances to land extra free games and remove the lowest-paying symbols from the grid.
Grim Reaper Supermatch™ is the latest release from Nailed It! Games. It follows recent titles Rainbow Burst™ and Dog Days™, and builds upon the revolutionary Supermatch™ mechanic previously seen in Rome Supermatch™ release earlier in the year.
Paweł Piotrowski, co-founder of Nailed It! Games, said: “We’ve been working hard on our next Supermatch™ titles, and we’re excited to be taking Grim Reaper Supermatch™ live exclusively with select operators – just in time for Halloween.
“This new title builds upon our cutting-edge mechanic, with plenty of win-boosting bonus features and ingenious new gameplay experiences that players haven’t experienced before. We can’t wait to see the reception – if you’re brave enough to try!”
Latest News
ITL and Indian Trading Partner Chevend extend into the Middle East

Cashing handling expert Innovative Technology extend into the Middle East in collaboration with their Trading Partner in the region, Chevend Technologies PVT. LTD.
Commenting on this expansion following a successful trip to India and Dubai, Marcus Tiedt, Sales & Marketing Director for ITL said, “ We secured our trading partnership with Chevend back in 2016 and over the past seven years we have been diversifying and extending our reach throughout India. Chevend now have a partner office in Dubai and so we are ready to expand into the Middle East with our partner serving customers at a local level.”
CHEVEND TECHNOLOGIES PVT. LTD is part of the Chevron Metal Products Group and proud pioneer of the Automatic Vending Concept in India. Chevend has India’s most experienced team supporting and working with customers in the vending, kiosks and banking segments and are also now distributing solutions to customers in the Middle East.
Marcus continued, “Chevend distribute and provide technical support for our products to customers in India, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Their original focus was mainly on vending and kiosk applications such as the NV11 and NV9, but as the market matures we are also looking to supply our new NV4000 multi bill recycler for payment terminals as it starts to gain momentum. The new Dubai office has storage and technical facilities and is conveniently located for exporting goods across the Middle East. We look forward to seeing a positive up-take of our solutions across this region.”
Commenting on the Trading Partnership and expansion, Ammaar Huseini, Director at Chevend said, “We have been providing ITL’s cash validation products to customers throughout India since 2016 and we now look forward to helping them expand throughout the Middle East. We have also received lots of inquiries for their ICU Lite biometric solution. Apart from the standard age verification, customers are also looking at incorporating features in their kiosks for user verification against a database or ID card, attendance for students at schools etc. With over 30 years of experience ITL offers very reliable and innovative products for the international market. Our technical engineers regularly receive extensive training at the ITL UK head office and have in-depth knowledge of the product range, so are well equipped to offer technical support as well as sales advice.”
Concluding Marcus said “Our Trading Partner network is vital, providing local support to our worldwide customer base. Following Chevend’s success in India, we are confident we will become a key supplier of cash handling throughout the Middle East.”
Latest News
Belgium gambling survey: Legality vs. Illegality

In a recent study commissioned by the Belgium Gambling Commission and conducted by Ipsos, 1,000 young individuals aged between 18 and 30 were surveyed. The findings shed light on intriguing aspects of how the youth perceive and participate in gambling activities.
Legality vs. Illegality
The research indicates that legal gambling sites are considerably more recognised among the youth. A 93% of respondents claim they can identify at least one legal gambling site by its name. In contrast, only 44% admit they can name an illegal site.
However, an interesting twist emerges when considering the top 10 most recognised gaming sites: 6 belong to legal providers, while 4 are illegal. This suggests that even if young people are aware of legal platforms, illegal ones still manage to capture their attention.
Moreover, using the example of one of the most regulated and established gambling markets — the UK — the popularity of unregulated casinos remains high, according to a study by Govan Thompson from Spelcasino.
Gambling: Who’s Playing and How Often?
Over half of the participants (53%) have gambled at least once in the past three years. Notably, men seem to be more active in this arena, with 65% having gambled compared to 41% of women.
Most of these players (62%) indulge in gambling no more than once a month. However, a small yet significant 13% admit to daily gambling habits.
Choosing the Gaming Platform
An overwhelming majority of players (90%) prefer legal gaming sites. Yet, 33% confess to having played on illegal platforms. Interestingly, 36% of respondents admit they don’t discern a difference between legal and illegal sites.
The Influence of Advertising
The advertising of gambling remains a contentious issue. 42% of those surveyed advocate for a complete ban on gambling advertisements, and a quarter acknowledge the influence of such advertising on their gaming behaviour. Amongst active players, this figure rises sharply to 70%.
In conclusion, the Ipsos study offers a profound understanding of the youth’s relationship with gambling. These insights could pave the way for further discussions on the regulation of gambling and its advertising in this domain.
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