Swedish Operator ATG Calls for Stronger Action Against Illegal Market

Swedish gambling operator Aktiebolaget Trav och Galopp (ATG) has called for stronger action against the illegal market, with a new report claiming there has been another drop in the channelisation rate.

ATG’s Q1 report on the movement of players towards the legal market puts the channelisation rate at between 68% and 81%, a reduction from 69% to 82% in Q4 2023.

The report found that the unlicensed market in Sweden is worth between SEK3.7bn (£) and SEK7.4bn (£) per year and that website traffic to unlicensed operators has increased tenfold since 2019.

None of the top 20 sites with the highest traffic during the quarter were included on the regulator’s prohibition list, ATG added, with 18 out of 20 using the same platform providers as licensed operators.

ATG CEO Hasse Lord Skarplöth labelled the developments “deeply concerning” and called for a rethink of the Swedish regulations on illegal gaming to make it illegal for unlicensed companies to operate in Sweden.

The current regulations make it illegal for unlicensed operators to market gaming products towards players.

Skarplöth said: “The prohibition on promotion and targeting criteria clearly do not serve as protection for the most vulnerable groups and to achieve good channelling.

“It is time to do exactly what the two latest inquiries by Håkan Hallstedt and Gunnar Larsson have proposed, namely to make it illegal to offer unlicensed gambling in Sweden regardless of targeting criteria.”