Swedish Government Appointed Marcus Isgren as Investigator of Swedish Gambling Act Review

The Swedish Government has appointed Marcus Isgren, chairman and head of the Swedish Board of Consumer Complaints (ARN), as Investigator of Swedish Gambling Act Review.

The Gambling Act of 2018 established the framework for the regulation of competitive online gambling in Sweden from January 2019. However, studies have suggested that player protection measures have been insufficient, while the wording has also allowed some unlicensed gaming operators to go unchallenged. Isgren must deliver a report by September 17.

Sweden’s licensed gambling operators will hope to have Isgren’s ear as he begins the review. The online gambling industry association Branschföreningen för Onlinespel (BOS) has called for the government to close what it describes as loopholes in the 2018 Gambling Act that prevent action against unlicensed operators that don’t use the Swedish language or currency.

This month, a Swedish court quashed an injunction issued by the national gambling regulator Spelinspektionen against the payment provider Zimpler due to a lack of “concreteness” in the definition of illegal gambling offerings. It noted that the wording of the Gambling Act states that operators are only deemed to be targeting Swedish players if they use the Swedish language or list the Swedish Krona.

Launching the review, Minister for Financial Markets, Niklas Wykman, said that clamping down on the black market would be a priority for the review.

“We will do this by amending the Gambling Act so that it becomes more appropriate. This is one of the single most important measures for a safer and healthier gambling market,” he said.