As almost always, the need to fight against gambling is one of the excuses, although the most powerful reason is to limit illegal gambling with gambling laws and regulations in Sweden.
The Swedish government has pledged to present the proposal for new legislation on gambling in the Nordic country by mid-2013.
The root of this decision is found in a report prepared by the National Audit that came to light in the summer of 2012.
This report highlighted that the “extensive and growing” offer of illegal gambling was much more attractive to players, since it can offer products and offers against which the chosen licensed operators in Sweden, among which the state monopoly stands out, cannot compete.
And that, according to online gambling regulation in Sweden, a study commissioned by the Swedish government revealed that the problems with the game have not grown in the last ten years, although it has been concentrated in certain specific sectors of the population, since it has decreased the percentage of Swedish citizens who bet regularly.
Licenses and regulators
A state monopoly on gambling operates in the country. In this way, the only operator is with official licenses. It is a state company that deals with the organization of bingo, poker and lottery games, and its subsidiary is the Casino Cosmopol organization, which owns all the conventional establishments.
In relation to the monopoly of the state, one cannot speak of conditions for obtaining licenses. Private companies have no right to engage in the gaming industry.
The regulator in this area is the Swedish National Gambling Association. Originally, it was an organization that dealt with the ethical issues of the game; however its competences were subsequently expanded. In short, we can say that licenses and regulators are a state monopoly.
Game development in Sweden
Under pressure from the EU, Sweden is actively working to limit the state monopoly and promote further development of the game. It is expected that in the coming years, foreign operators will receive the possibility of obtaining licenses in the Swedish territory. In addition, even the local operator expects reorganization.
Since many players give preference to foreign platforms, it is planned to make local services more competitive. Particularly, an expert, who exercises the monopoly in Sweden, plans to pay more attention to the development of the sports betting sector, since at this time fans of this type of game prefer foreign platforms exclusively.
Sweden has made a long way to finally legalize the game with new Swedish gambling law. The basis of current legislation is not finished in some aspects. However, safe and comfortable conditions have been created for players in the field of gambling.
