The Swedish government has announced a review of the country's "Gambling Act" aimed at strengthening supervision over unlicensed operators.
This move responds to the call from the Swedish Online Gambling Trade Association (BOS), which advocates amending the law to plug legal loopholes that allow offshore gambling companies to target Swedish consumers.
Under current law, unlicensed operators can legally accept Swedish players, provided they do not use Swedish currency or language. This has led to an increase in unregulated gambling activities, as many Swedish consumers are accustomed to using English and euros.
The Bank of New Zealand believes that this move weakens consumer protection and undermines the integrity of the country's licensed gambling market.
To address these issues, the government has appointed a national investigator to study how to expand the scope of the law to effectively exclude unlicensed operators.
A proposed change includes amending the "directional standards," which currently determine whether online gambling services require a Swedish license.
It is worth noting that the researcher's findings and recommendations are expected to be submitted on September 17, 2025
Gustaf Hoffstedt, Secretary-General of the Swedish Gambling Authority, welcomed the government's decision, stating: "Since the re-regulation of the Swedish gambling market in 2019, we have been advocating for such amendments to the 'Gambling Act'.
"After re-regulation, it was quickly discovered that the gambling license market was full of loopholes. This is partly because many unlicensed gambling companies were able to continue accepting Swedish gambling customers, as long as they avoided using the Swedish language and currency.
"The day before yesterday, we wrote to the government reminding them of this issue, and now the government is listening to our opinions. We very much welcome them doing so."
Niklas Wykman, Minister for Financial Markets, emphasized the government's determination to address this issue, stating: "We will stop those rogue gambling companies that exploit vulnerable consumers. We will do this by amending the 'Gambling Act' to make it more appropriate. This is one of the most important measures to create a safer and healthier gambling market."
