BOS Responds to Svenska Spel and ATG Over Proposed Bonus Ban in Sweden
A public debate has intensified in Sweden’s gambling sector after the CEOs of Svenska Spel and ATG called for a complete ban on bonuses in the regulated market. Industry association BOS has issued a sharp response, arguing that such a ban would damage consumer protection and strengthen the position of unlicensed operators.
CEOs of Svenska Spel and ATG Call for Total Bonus Ban
On November 7, the chief executives of state-owned Svenska Spel and horse racing operator ATG published an opinion piece in Svenska Dagbladet. They argued that Sweden should introduce a full ban on bonuses offered by companies operating under a Swedish licence.
Their proposal goes far beyond the current restrictions, which already limit bonuses to a single offer per customer. The article framed the ban as a necessary measure to strengthen responsible gambling tools and reduce incentives that may lead to harmful play.
BOS Issues Counterargument on Same Debate Page
Today, BOS – the Swedish Trade Association for Online Gambling – issued its response on the same SvD debate page. The organisation warned that a full bonus ban would distort competition and weaken player protection across Sweden.
According to BOS, Svenska Spel and ATG stand to benefit commercially from such a ban. The association argues that both companies already enjoy strong market positions and would face fewer competitive pressures if bonuses disappeared from the licensed ecosystem.
Ban Would Push More Players to Unlicensed Operators
In its statement, BOS stressed that the real threat to consumer protection is the low channelisation rate. Large numbers of Swedish players continue to choose unlicensed offshore operators, where bonus restrictions do not exist. Gustaf Hoffstedt, Secretary General of BOS, stated that removing all bonuses on the licensed market would make the legal ecosystem even less competitive and further undermine efforts to bring players back into a regulated, supervised environment. He said:
“The elephant in the room for consumer protection is that consumers to such a large extent are absent from the legal, licensed part of the gambling market. Instead, they have, to an extraordinarily high extent, chosen the unregulated, unlicensed market, partly because of the very generous bonus systems offered there.
We should not have those kinds of excesses with sky-high bonuses on the licensed market, but to completely ban every form of moderate bonus is to bind a rod for one’s own back and to give up the fight to defend the licensed market.”
The Swedish government has, in recent years, explored several regulatory changes aimed at improving consumer safety. Bonus regulations remain one of the most contentious topics, with operators and policymakers divided on how strict the rules should be.
Svenska Spel and ATG have consistently supported tougher bonus restrictions, while private operators warn that harsher limits push players toward unregulated markets.