BOS Urges Sweden to Ban Unlicensed Gambling
The Swedish Trade Association for Online Gambling (BOS) has formally requested the Swedish Ministry of Finance to amend the Gambling Act. The current legislation allows unlicensed operators to target Swedish consumers as long as they do not use the Swedish language or currency. BOS argues that this loophole has led to a significant increase in unlicensed gambling activities in the country.
Regulatory Loophole Fuels Unlicensed Gambling
Under the current framework, unlicensed gambling companies and their subcontractors can lawfully accept Swedish players by circumventing specific restrictions. As long as they avoid using Swedish currency and language, they are not considered in violation of the law. This regulatory gap has contributed to a growing presence of unlicensed operators in Sweden’s gambling market.
BOS highlights that the existing situation is a result of changes made during the implementation of the Gambling Act in 2019. The original recommendations from the Gambling License Investigation suggested criminalizing all gambling companies operating without a Swedish license while targeting Swedish consumers. However, the final version of the legislation softened this stance, allowing certain unlicensed activities to persist legally.
BOS Calls for Immediate Legislative Action
BOS is urging the Swedish government to amend the Gambling Act and revert to the original proposal, which sought to criminalize all unlicensed gambling aimed at Swedish consumers.
“Unlicensed gambling should be eliminated in Sweden. It is completely inadequate that around a quarter of all gambling is unlicensed, not least given the total absence of consumer protection on the black gambling market. If we are to succeed in eliminating this part of the gambling market, the Gambling Act must be amended and all unlicensed gambling must be criminalized,”
– said Gustaf Hoffstedt, Secretary General of BOS.