Swedish government review calls for daytime gambling ad ban

The Swedish government’s Gambling Market Inquiry has called for a blanket ban on gambling advertising between 6am and 9pm. The ban, which would cover the marketing of “most risky” games – likely to be online casino – would apply to TV, radio, podcasts and video sharing platforms including YouTube. In addition, the inquiry has called for the existing prohibition of unlicensed gambling sites on Swedish broadcast channels to be extended to foreign-based media service providers and video sharing sites. The recommendations come as part of a two-year long review into the country’s gambling sector. Investigators have proposed a wide range of measures, including a permanent SEK5,000 (GBP) per week loss limit on gambling via ATMs or land-based slot machines. The inquiry therefore proposes that gambling for public benefit purposes, for example lottery and returns to good causes, should be exempted from the cap on offering multiple bonuses. The development of a risk classification system is also included within the report, with the Swedish Gambling Authority (SGA) mandated to launch the initiative in partnership with Sweden’s Public Health Authority. Other measures proposed include the introduction of B2B supplier licences, as well as clarifying the SGA’s powers in relation to prosecuting unlicensed operators. Elsewhere, the inquiry has called on the SGA to “create greater clarity” on how licensed operators might apply a duty of care in dealing with players, as well as proposing the government introduce a so-called “law of obligation” on licensees. Under this law, the SGA would have the right to order a licensee to provide information on their respective gambling operations as required. In addition, the inquiry calls on legislators to introduce streamlined measures allowing the SGA to adapt technical rules and assessment procedures to specific regulated activities, claiming there are “insufficient conditions” for this sort of regulation to take place currently. “It has been a complex assignment that has touched on a large number of different issues linked to the gaming regulation, which in some cases have required difficult trade-offs,” special investigator Anna-Lena Sörenson said. “I believe that the proposals we came up with can both contribute to strengthening consumer protection and make regulation more appropriate,” she added. The final report is the culmination of a long review of the Swedish market, which first convened in April 2019. The inquiry had been expected to deliver its findings in October, but this was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. “The state has a great responsibility to protect Swedish consumers in the gaming market,” Swedish Minister of Social Affairs Ardalan Shekarabi said. “It is both about shutting out gaming companies that do not have a licence and ensuring that those who operate here with a licence do so in a responsible manner. “The Gambling Market Inquiry’s report will form an important basis for the government’s forthcoming measures,” Shekarabi added. Swedish trade association BOS suggested the report should have placed more emphasis on stamping out unlicensed operators as a way to maintain a high level of consumer protection, instead of penalising licensed firms. “Banning licensed gaming companies from marketing their services to Swedish consumers while leaving unlicensed companies free to offer their services to Swedish consumers is a bad proposal,” BOS CEO Gustaf Hoffstedt said. “The proportion of Swedes who play at gaming companies outside the licensing system today is far from the goal set by the Riksdag and the government. “The government must first stop the unlicensed gambling so that together we can secure a Swedish gambling market characterised by entertainment and high consumer protection,” Hoffstedt concluded.