A number of the online gambling licence holders in Sweden have threatened to exit the regulated market unless the government stops imposing restrictions.
The warning was part of an open letter written by the Branschföreningen för Onlinespel (BOS) industry group and was sent to Ardalan Shekarabi, the country’s social security minister.
The Content Of The Letter
The letter states that customers are switching to unlicensed offshore gambling operators as a result of the restrictions inflicted upon players via licensed gambling platforms. The letter also contained a threat from gambling operators that:
“If players leave, the companies follow suit.“
The CEOs of LeoVegas, William Hill, Kindred Group, NetEnt and Betsson collectively signed the open letter to the social security minister.
The letter mentioned that the reason that Sweden opened a licensed gambling market in 2019 was as part of an effort to attract local punters to gambling sites that were licensed locally. This was to ensure their gambling activity was monitored properly to avoid widespread problem gambling.
Last Chance For Many Operators
Since Sweden first launched its online gambling market, operators have clashed with the gambling regular a number of times regarding the interpretation of various gambling laws.
The open letter from the BOS states that the concept that operators initially agreed with has been compromised due to the changes in regulations that have been imposed since the market was launched.
According to the Branschföreningen för Onlinespel, licensed operators are no longer able to compete with their rivals offshore.
The last straw was the government’s proposal to introduce significant deposit and loss limits for players in Sweden.
Last week, Shekarabi proposed these changes to protect gamblers but the BOS claims that this move might have the opposite effect by drawing punters to operators overseas.
The letter also served as a reminder to Shekarabi that the players should decide where they can play and that the state does not have complete control over digital channels.
Shekarabi Stands By The Regulations
Despite the resistance from the BOS, Shekarabi has suggested that the limits proposed were not set in stone but could become even more restrictive by implementing monthly deposit limits of SEK5,000 ($510) across all platforms.
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