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BOS op-ed: “Svenska Spel’s betting company must be sold by the state”

Published

2 years ago

December 26, 2022

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Dagens Nyheter – Sweden’s largest morning paper – today published an op-ed signed Gustaf Hoffstedt, Secretary General of The Swedish Trade Association for Online Gambling. Hoffstedt is urging the government to sell the betting and online casino part of the governmental gambling operator Svenska Spel.

We are pleased to bring you the English version of the editorial which you can read in full below:

Sell Svenska Spel

Prague Gaming & TECH Summit 2025 (25-26 March)

Since 2019, Sweden has had a licensing system for gambling companies. Anyone who wants to operate in the Swedish gambling market must have a state license. As of 2019, there are two types of gambling markets; partly a monopoly that mainly offers lotteries, for example, the popular Trisslotten. In this market, private profit–making gambling companies are not allowed to operate. Partly a commercial competitive gambling market that mainly offers online casinos and betting, for example betting on horses and football. In this market, private commercial gambling companies can apply for and be awarded a license to operate in the Swedish gambling market.

Through Svenska Spel, the state is active in both of these markets, but now the time has come to divest Svenska Spel Sport & Casino, i.e. the part of the company that is active in the commercial, competitive gambling market.

Around 70 gambling companies are fighting for market share in the part of the gambling market that is open to competition and offers online casinos as well as betting on horses, football, other sports, and even who will win the next parliamentary election or Schlagerfestivalen. One of these companies is state–owned: Svenska Spel. It is difficult to find arguments for continued government commercial involvement in that market.

Normally, the state usually engages in business activities when the market itself has failed, above all in terms of competition. There may be too few players in a market and the few that exist may have too dominant a position for competition to function. Then the state steps in as a commercial actor with the ambition of countering that market failure. However, no one who has followed developments in the Swedish gambling market can claim that there is too little competition between the 70 companies that operate in competitive gambling. Competition is fierce and would remain so even in the absence of the state as a commercial casino operator and bookmaker in betting.

Another argument for conducting state–owned commercial gambling activities could be a desire to act as an example for all other companies on the market, for example in not producing as much gambling advertising as the competitors. Anyone who has followed Svenska Spel’s marketing since the reregulation knows, however, that the company is one of Sweden’s largest advertisers in all categories, i.e. including gambling but also other large advertising buyers such as grocers and car manufacturers. Svenska Spel’s extensive advertising purchases rather force the private gambling companies to make larger advertising purchases on their part than would otherwise have been the case.

“A state–owned gambling company that operates in direct competition with others is, in principle, like any other gambling company,” says the government investigation from 2017, which was the basis for the Swedish reregulation of the gambling market. That’s exactly how it is; Svenska Spel Sport & Casino has exactly the same license as other gambling companies. They follow exactly the same responsible gambling regulations, and they do it no better or worse than their competitors. They pay exactly the same gambling tax as all other gambling companies. Therefore, the logical consequence already became apparent to the Gambling License Investigation six years ago: “The conclusion is, according to the investigation, that the best alternative would be to divest the competition part.” [A reregulated gaming market, SOU 2017:30, p. 34]

So the only remaining question is why hasn’t the company been sold yet?

Perhaps an argument for keeping the company under state auspices could be its return to the state. But the idea is of course not for the company to be liquidated, but on the contrary to be sold to the highest bidder and then continue to be run, albeit privately. With the same requirement to pay gambling tax.

Not entirely surprisingly, there is a classic division here between political parties on the right and the left. Parties on the left view positively that the state owns companies and runs businesses, while parties on the right do not. This is also the case in this matter, and before the reregulation, the center-right parties had to waive stricter demands for the divestment of Svenska Spel Sport & Casino in order for the Social Democrat–led government to agree to introduce the gambling license system we have today.

Now that time is over and we have a new government, which together with the Sweden Democrats forms a majority in the Riksdag. The moderates have long advocated a divestment of Svenska Spel Sport & Casino, as have the Sweden Democrats. The voters who have given the center-right parties the power to rule Sweden have very reasonable expectations that the government will now move from words to action.

This is really nothing new for a center-right government. The last time Sweden had such a government, it concluded that the fact that the Swedish state had then become one of the world’s largest producers of alcohol was not in line with the government’s idea of what a state should do. Thus Vin & Sprit AB was sold in 2008, with the Absolut brand, for 55 billion kronor to France’s Pernod Ricard, which still runs the business for the benefit of Scanian grain farmers, among others.

It is now high time that our own contemporary anomaly, the state’s role as a casino operator and bookmaker, found an end. And unlike the long–awaited introduction of gambling licenses, which took place at the initiative of the Social Democrats, it would be desirable for this to happen during a center-right wing government in power. What else should it have the power for, if not to implement what it said in opposition it wanted to do?

Gustaf Hoffstedt
Secretary General, The Swedish Trade Association for Online Gambling

[Gustaf Hoffstedt is among the speakers of the Prague Gaming & TECH Summit which will be held between 29-30 March 2023. More details about the summit can be found here.]

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The German Games Industry Association Congratulates Winners of the German Computer Game Awards 2025

Published

2 days ago

May 16, 2025

Niji Narayan

the-german-games-industry-association-congratulates-winners-of-the-german-computer-game-awards-2025

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Outstanding games from Germany and a great show with many well-known personalities: the year’s best games made in Germany were honoured at the German Computer Game Awards 2025 (DCP) in Berlin. In the Palais am Funkturm, guests from the areas of culture, society, media, politics and the game industry celebrated the creative teams behind the high-quality games. The hosts Katrin Bauerfeind and Uke Bosse led the audience through the entertaining evening, which numerous viewers also followed via live stream.

The winner in the highest-profile category, “Best German Game,” was “Enshrouded” from the studio Keen Games. The coveted award was presented by Federal Minister for Research, Technology and Aerospace Dorothee Bär, who is responsible for computer and video games in the new Federal Government. The survival RPG game also won in the category “Best Innovation and Technology”. The award for “Studio of the Year” went to Megagon Industries from Berlin, the studio behind the successful “Lonely Mountains” games. The games community and DCP jury chose the streamer Stephan Bliemel, known as Steinwallen, “Player of the Year”. For over a decade, Steinwallen has impressively demonstrated in his video streams how history can be successfully imparted through games. Prize money totalling 800,000 euros was awarded in the framework of the DCP 2025.

The German Computer Game Awards were hosted by the German Federal Government and game – The German Games Industry Association.

“We congratulate all the award winners. Impressive variety, captivating stories and first-rate technologies: once again, on the grand stage of the German Computer Game Awards 2025, the enormous strength of German games studios was clear to see. Germany produces exciting games with world-market potential. These successes send a strong signal and show what Germany has to offer as a game production location. Together with the new Federal Government, we want to enable this creative and technological excellence to shine even more brightly on the international stage in the future,” said Felix Falk, Managing Director of game – The German Games Industry Association.

Overview of all the winners of the German Computer Game Awards 2025:

Best International Game (not endowed)

• Split Fiction (Hazelight Studios / Electronic Arts)

Best German Game (endowed with 100,000 euros)

• Enshrouded (Keen Games)

The other nominees each receive 30,000:

• Lonely Mountains: Snow Riders (Megagon Industries)

• Thronefall (Grizzly Games)

Best Family Game (endowed with 40,000 euros)

• PRIM (Common Colors / Application Systems Heidelberg)

Newcomer Award – Best Debut (endowed with 60,000 euros)

• Nordhold (Stunforge / Stunforge & HypeTrain Digital)

The other nominees each receive 25,000 euros:

• Footgun: Underground (Turtle Knight Games / CobraTekku Games)

• Mindlock – The Apartment (Roof Cut Media / United Soft Media)

Newcomer Award – Best Prototype (endowed with 50,000 euros)

• Blob the Klex (Melena Dressel, Alejandro Rebolledo, Laura Octavianus / Hochschule Darmstadt)

The other nominees each receive 25,000 euros:

• MapMap – A game about Maps (HAW Hamburg / Pipapo Games)

• Stuntboost (Julian Höltge, Tobias Kozel)

• Echoes of Mora (HTW Berlin / Meike Strippel et al.)

• Exhibit A (MDH München / Olivia Falke et al.)

Best Innovation and Technology (endowed with 40,000 euros)

• Enshrouded (Keen Games)

Best Audio Design (endowed with 40,000 euros)

• ODDADA (Sven Ahlgrimm et al.)

Best Game Design (endowed with 40,000 euros)

• Thronefall (Grizzly Games)

Best Graphic Design (endowed with 40,000 euros)

• Harold Halibut (Slow Bros.)

Best Mobile Game (endowed with 40,000 euros)

• Duck Detective: The Secret Salami (Happy Broccoli Games)

Best Story (endowed with 40,000 euros)

• Vampire Therapist (Little Bat Games)

Best Serious Game (endowed with 40,000 euros)

• Deine Stimme (Sebastian Grünwald & Reality Twist / Bavarian State Centre for Political Education)

Studio of the Year (endowed with 50,000 euros)

• Megagon Industries (Berlin)

Player of the Year (not endowed)

• Steinwallen

Special Jury Award (endowed with a total of 10,000 euros; the two winners each receive 5000 euros)

• Flipper und Arcade Museum Seeligenstadt

• GAME:IN

The post The German Games Industry Association Congratulates Winners of the German Computer Game Awards 2025 appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Slotozilla Data Report: Unveiling 2024’s Gaming Statistics

Published

2 days ago

May 16, 2025

Niji Narayan

slotozilla-data-report:-unveiling-2024’s-gaming-statistics

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Slotozilla is an industry-leading online casino and slot review platform. Since its inception, the company has published refreshed analyses covering iGaming operators and software – with the intent to provide accurate, informative data for all users.

Throughout 2024, Slotozilla collected relevant data pertaining to player usage of the platform. These insights unveiled clear illustrations of player preferences, gender distribution, age-related data and other appropriate gaming behaviour. The report outlines significant findings laid bare by Slotozilla’s year-long study.

Explosive Global Favourites: The Demo Slots That Dominated 2024

Clear regional preferences were brought to light during Slotozilla’s 2024 analysis, as Book of Ra dominated the European industry. Where’s the Gold represented Australia’s favourite slot, while Plinko, Wolf Run and Sizzling Hot garnered significant attention from a worldwide player base.

Sizzling Hot Deluxe earned plaudits within the French gaming arena – attaining nearly one-quarter of the nation’s demo playtime. Industry developers and operators should expect these slots to influence the iGaming scene in 2025 and beyond.

Beyond the Numbers: Surprising Engagement and Demographic Shifts Revealed

The previous year detailed a clear shift towards all-encompassing domination by particular titles and demographics. For example, Columbus proved a major hit among USA bettors – racking up an average playtime of 194.8 minutes. That figure sits far ahead of the next game in line, King of Atlantis, which garnered 72.5 minutes per average session from French users.

Similar lob-sided statistics exist when comparing gender-based play, as male German players form 73.91% of the nation’s users—potentially guiding marketing efforts.

Modern Industry Impact

Data collected by SlotoZilla evidences various marked industry shifts spanning several key demographics. The report’s holistic view of the modern iGaming industry highlights the increasing necessity for targeted marketing campaigns, relevant themes and boundary-pushing features.

Users located in Australia, Poland and Canada are notable in this regard – as players from all three vital nations tend to access online slots from the age of 25 onward. Strategies around this data are central to maintaining a robust industry.

The post Slotozilla Data Report: Unveiling 2024’s Gaming Statistics appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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BGC Raises Concerns About Potential Negative Impact of Further Tax Hike on the Gambling Industry

Published

2 days ago

May 16, 2025

Niji Narayan

bgc-raises-concerns-about-potential-negative-impact-of-further-tax-hike-on-the-gambling-industry

Reading Time: 2 minutes

The Betting and Gaming Council (BGC) has warned against further new tax rises on members, as it was confirmed Levy payments to the Horseracing Betting Levy Board are expected to increase for the fourth year in a row.

BGC members are expected to contribute a record £108m in Levy payments to the HBLB for last year, new figures reveal.

The figure, provided by the independent HBLB, is an increase of £3m on the previous year.

It is the fourth year in a row that Levy contributions have increased, from £97m in 2021/22, to £100m in 2022/2023, £105m in 2023/2024 and £108m in 2024/2025.

This increased contribution came despite a concerning fall in betting turnover, and amid threats of a further new tax hike on online sports betting.

The independent HBLB said average turnover per race was down by about 8% on 2023/24, representing a 15% fall on 2022/23 and 19% drop on 2021/22.

Meanwhile, earlier this month the Treasury announced a new tax consultation, proposing replacing the three current online betting and gaming tax rates, with a single new one, sparking fears for sports like racing.

Betting and Gaming Council CEO Grainne Hurst said: “For the fourth year running Levy contributions have increased to record levels, demonstrating the growing, long-term investment regulated betting provides British horseracing.

“But it is concerning to see once more that despite record Levy contributions, racing continues to struggle, both as a sport and as a betting product, with betting turnover down again year on year.

“BGC members remain committed fans of racing and recognise better than most the huge economic impact it makes in communities across the country.

“It’s now more important than ever this vital contribution is not undermined by further new tax rises through the creation of a single tax for online betting, which risks driving punters away from the sport, or into the arms of the growing, unsafe gambling black market.

“These parasite operators don’t pay tax, don’t care about safer gambling, and do not contribute a penny to the Levy. The BGC wants sustainable growth, for our members and for racing, but any new taxes would halt investment, hurt punters and harm racing.”

This fourth annual increase is a new record since the Levy collection reforms of 2017/18.

The post BGC Raises Concerns About Potential Negative Impact of Further Tax Hike on the Gambling Industry appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.