Branschföreningen för Onlinespel (BOS), the Swedish Trade Association for Online Gambling, has asked the Swedish Government’s Ministry of Finance to amend a loophole in the country’s Gambling Act.
In a letter to the Ministry of Finance, BOS has pinpointed a significant loophole within the Gambling Act that is currently enabling unlicensed operators in the Swedish gambling market so long as they don’t use the Swedish language or currency.
“It is currently perfectly legal for unlicensed gambling companies and their subcontractors to accept Swedish gambling consumers as long as the companies avoid using the Swedish language and Swedish currency,” the association said in a statement.
“This loophole has led to a massive influx of unlicensed gambling offers into the Swedish gambling market.”
BOS noted that changes to the application of the Gambling Act were made by the Government, allowing for the influx of unlicensed offerings.
This was in comparison to what was originally presented by the Gambling License Investigation, which went on to form the basis of the Gambling Act and the Swedish reregulation in 2019.
The association said: “The Gambling License Investigation wanted to criminalise companies in general that lack a Swedish gambling license that still accept Swedish gambling consumers.
“BOS is writing to the Ministry of Finance today with a request that the Government take the initiative to amend the Gambling Act in favour of the Gambling License Investigation’s original proposal.”
Gustaf Hoffstedt, Secretary General of BOS, added: “Unlicensed gambling should be eliminated in Sweden. It is completely inadequate that around a quarter of all gambling is unlicensed, not least given the total absence of consumer protection on the black gambling market.
“If we are to succeed in eliminating this part of the gambling market, the Gambling Act must be amended and all unlicensed gambling must be criminalised.”
