The Swedish government has acknowledged that there have been periods in which the Spelinspektionen has fallen short in terms of how it conducted market supervision.
This was identified as part of a 105-page new national audit, which identified the major points around strengthening government and security collaboration.
Central to the report was identifying that individual checks from operators were not based on well-founded risk analysis, whilst there has also been an insufficient number of follow-ups to determine whether deficiencies have been resolved.
Responding to the report, the Audit Office has urged the government to be meticulous in ensuring that Spelinspektionen has the full set of tools to conduct its supervision duties to their full extent, as well as provide the necessary support for the collection of fair and reliable information that should be then shared with the Riksdag.
Otherwise, ‘positive’ of the audit’s general assessment, the government stated that it “partially agrees” with the above as it has already taken measures to obtain additional data for follow-ups on multiple occasions.
Furthermore, the report also outlined the threat of the black market and how it can best be combated. It detailed that the Swedish Gambling Act solely applies to online gambling specifically targeting the Swedish market. Nonetheless, a growing number of opportunities may arise to take advantage of a ‘grey area’ for unlicensed online gambling providers.
It emphasises the importance of addressing black market issues moving forward, elevating clarity and conciseness around the issue.
The government’s response detailed that several measures to improve this have already been taken since the audit was commissioned in 2024. One of them includes the tasking of Spelinspektionen and the Financial Supervisory Authority with a review of how the communication between both entities can be improved upon – with the goal of achieving more efficiency in the fight against the black market.
