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The next step after the privatization of “Bilprovningen”: sell Svenska Spel

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It was with a clear message that Finance Minister Elisabeth Svantesson (M) last week explained why the state is selling Bilprovningen, Sweden’s largest vehicle inspection company: “There is no obvious reason why the state should own this company. The state must first and foremost regulate and control this market, but it is good if others own,” she said.

The same can be said about the state-owned company in the gambling industry, Svenska Spel.

Bilprovningen and Svenska Spel belong to a handful of state holdings that are particularly unsuitable for the state to own, in that the state companies operate in a competitive market alongside a number of normal private companies, where the state has the role of regulating both its own company but also all others.

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It is never a good idea to be a player and referee in the same match. No matter how much responsibility is distributed among various functions and authorities within the state, such an arrangement is set up to erode trust in the state’s role as a neutral judge. Is it the neutral judge we listen to when government officials speak, or is it the state casino director?

Having a state-owned company operating in an otherwise competitive market is by no means a guarantee that state-owned companies will perform better than private companies. This year alone, the fines issued to Svenska Spel by the Swedish Gambling Authority add up to over one hundred million kronor (€10M), for various violations of the Gambling Act. That’s more than any other gambling company on the market.

And it’s still not the big talking point of the year when it comes to scandals in the gambling industry. The big scandal has concerned a gambling company owned by a political party. Consider if a scandal of the same dignity affects a gambling company owned by the Swedish government. Every day with the state as owner of Svenska Spel, the government is exposed to this risk, e.g. with the illegal gambling advertising when Trisslotten is scratched on TV4.

Another unfortunate consequence when the state owns and operates companies on competitive markets is that the public debate about how gambling should be regulated is short-circuited, when Svenska Spel or their representatives take the floor and tell the government and the Riksdag how things should be regulated. The order in a democracy must be the other way around: it is the Riksdag and the government that have the mandate to say what Svenska Spel should do, not Svenska Spel that should give directives to the elected politicians.

The two heaviest parties in the government base in terms of the number of seats in the Riksdag – the Moderates and the Sweden Democrats – were very clear before the last election what they intended to do with Svenska Spel in the event of an election victory: privatize the state ownership. Instead, it was said, the government should concentrate on the role that only the state can have, namely, to be a legislator and to monitor that the market participants comply with laws and regulations.

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The sale of AB Bilprovningen shows that the government is prepared to go from words to action, and there is no reason to wait any longer with the privatization of Svenska Spel. In fact, the state’s role as an impartial judge is probably even more important in the gambling market than in the car inspection industry.

Of course, a sale must take place according to all rules in order to get as much paid for the company as possible. The sale can then form an important basis for important government investments in, for example, infrastructure. It would be a sale we would all win from.

Gustaf Hoffstedt

Secretary General, BOS – The Swedish Trade Association for Online Gambling

The post The next step after the privatization of “Bilprovningen”: sell Svenska Spel appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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EveryMatrix Press Releases

EveryMatrix wins Norsk Tipping casino & eInstant RFP in largest ever SlotMatrix agreement

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EveryMatrix has won a highly competitive public procurement process to provide World Lottery Association (WLA) member Norsk Tipping with a comprehensive range of in-house and aggregated content plus bespoke casual games development.

The agreement is the company’s largest ever SlotMatrix deal and covers two principal areas.

The first will see SlotMatrix – EveryMatrix’s aggregation platform – provide Norsk Tipping and its players with an extensive range of premium third-party online casino content plus new and existing in-house titles from its own studios.

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This includes the recently acquired Fantasma Games as well as Armadillo Studios with EveryMatrix Games significantly increasing its games production output in 2025.

The second area will see EveryMatrix Games provide third-party content for Norsk Tipping’s Yezz, a range of entertaining, mobile-first casual games that appeal to next generation players and typically involve longer session times.

The industry’s fastest growing technology provider successfully won the procurement process and new long-term contract and will immediately begin work to add more innovative content to Norsk Tipping’s portfolio.

The Norsk Tipping-EveryMatrix partnership extends almost a decade when both companies first put pen to paper on their first content integration platform agreement in 2016. Since then EveryMatrix’s CasinoEngine platform has powered the operator’s casino offering, providing its players with a diverse range of best-performing content.

Norsk Tipping is Norway’s state-owned gaming company and a market leader in the country. It boasts a broad retail and online portfolio, including lottery games, scratch cards, online casino, and sports betting. Since it was founded in 1948 the profit from the company’s operations have been channelled back to the Norwegian sport and cultural sector.

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Ebbe Groes, CEO and Co-Founder, EveryMatrix, said: “I’m delighted Norsk Tipping, one of our most valued partners, has chosen to continue to put their trust in us after almost 10 years of collaboration and we look forward to even more years working together.”

Lars Martin Ottesen, Product Manager, Casino at Norsk Tipping, said: “We are glad to extend our partnership with EveryMatrix to be able to source casino content that matches our ambitions for years to come. We are confident that EveryMatrix’s expertise will provide great value for Norsk Tipping and support us in our overall content strategy.”

Svein-Erik Sæther, Product manager for Yezz, Norsk Tipping, added: “We look forward to developing the Yezz category further with EveryMatrix as an aggregator of high-quality games that are entertaining and with longer duration.”

The post EveryMatrix wins Norsk Tipping casino & eInstant RFP in largest ever SlotMatrix agreement appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Compliance Updates

EGT Digital received a licence for operation in Sweden

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EGT Digital is pleased to announce its authorization to operate in Sweden. The company was granted a license from the Swedish Gambling Authority (Spelinspektionen) to manufacture, provide, install, and modify software for the online gambling industry. Now, all main products of the Bulgarian provider – the X-Nave platform and the in-house developed games, are available to the local market.

Standing out with great versatility, EGT Digital’s “all-in-one” betting platform X-Nave enables operators to build and grow a successful business online. It includes 4 main modules: Sport Product, CRM Engine, Gaming Aggregator, and Payment Gateway, offering multiple tools for creating highly personalized content that is fully tailored according to players’ tastes and requirements. Еach of the platform’s modules can be part of the complete solution or function separately, as they can be integrated with developments of third-party providers.

EGT Digital’s portfolio of games covers over 120 casino titles, including 4 jackpots: Bell Link, High Cash, Clover Chance, and Single Progressive Jackpot. Featuring a wide variety of themes, bonuses, and high winning chances, they provide rich gaming choices for different types of players and are currently among the favorites in more than 50 jurisdictions globally.

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Tsvetomira Drumeva, Head of Sales at EGT Digital, commented: “Obtaining this licence is an important step for us. Thanks to it, we have the opportunity to enter the Swedish market, which is a top priority for us. This will allow us to continue our expansion into other European countries and consolidate our status as one of the preferred iGaming providers on the continent.”

The post EGT Digital received a licence for operation in Sweden appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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Compliance Updates

Delasport Obtains New Denmark License

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Delasport continues its global expansion and obtains a B2B Supplier license in Denmark, complying with the latest set of regulations in the Nordic jurisdiction.

The award-winning supplier offers a sports betting solution on the Danish market, featuring dozens of innovative features tuned to increase player betting experience through in-depth personalization, unique ways of betting and more.

“Staying ahead of Danish iGaming licensing requirements is crucial for supporting our existing partners as they thrive in this well-established northern market”, Delasport’s CEO Oren Cohen Shwartz comments. “Moreover, the Nordics in general are of great interest to us as our product is superior to the existing market offering.”
Denmark is a key jurisdiction due to its steady rise to the top of the European iGaming league ever since 2012. This also has to do with the fact that close to 100% of the country’s population is using the Internet as of today.

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More about Delasport’s positioning on the Danish market and the latest innovations delivered by the company can be learned at ICE 2025 – Barcelona by visiting Stand 5M20.

The post Delasport Obtains New Denmark License appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

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