The Swedish Online Gambling Trade Association (BOS) has responded to a new report released today by the Swedish National Audit Office, which has drawn attention to the country's gambling regulatory body, Spelinspektionen.
The report highlights the insufficient regulation of the gambling industry, and the response from the UK Audit Office is "welcoming the National Audit Office's advocacy for expanding unlicensed gambling activities to criminal offenses."
In fact, the report specifically points out that Spelinspektionen has not properly managed all unlicensed gambling operators within the national market.
This is because, under the current provisions of the Gambling Act, institutions offering games in English and Euros without a license are considered legal. However, companies offering games in Swedish and Swedish kronor without a license are defined as illegal.
It is worth noting that in August, the Swedish Central Bank also suggested allowing private companies to operate physical casinos in Sweden.
Therefore, BOS agrees with the National Audit Office's recommendation to formally review the Gambling Act, especially the parts concerning the scope of the law.
BOS Secretary General Gustaf Hoffstedt stated: "The current gambling law allows such a wide range of unlicensed gambling markets, which is unsustainable. In front of both the current and former governments, we have advocated for expanding the scope of the Gambling Act.
"As a result, gambling companies without a Swedish gambling license accepting Swedish gambling consumers would become illegal, thus these companies must geoblock Sweden.
"The Audit Office has presented similar reasons in the report released today, and we very much welcome this."
