Branschföreningen för Onlinespel (BOS) is an online gambling industry group who recently spoke out against the Swedish governments decision to place strict limits on deposits via licensed online gambling sites as well as losses. Bonus offers are also going to be limited and the group feels that these changes will push players to sites that are not licensed to offer services in Sweden.
Op-Ed Slamming Government Changes
Over the weekend, an op-ed was published by BOS that slammed the decision by the government to be stricter within the gambling industry. Gusaf Hoffstedt, the secretary-general of the BOS stated that iGaming operators that have licenses in Sweden are already facing strict marketing rules. There is a ban on VIP bonuses as well as limits on bonuses that can be provided to first-time players.
Gambling operators with licensing in other areas are offering players in Sweden services, though they are not bound by the country’s rules or taxes. They can offer more competitive pricing as well as better bonuses. According to Hoffstedt, the new limits proposed by the government will be ineffective in reaching their goal of protecting citizens of Sweden as they will opt for the international sites instead.
Push for Change
The op-ed comes at a time when Social Security minister Ardalan Shekarabi called online casino gaming one of the riskiest forms and called for the new limits to be put in place regarding losses and deposits along with the time players spend at online slot games.
What BOS believes is that the players in Sweden will move to internationally licensed sites and the government will have failed to create a licensing system that will attract consumers and offer strong protections. Hoffstedt pointed out further that the government continues to provide new orders for Swedish licensed gaming companies and if this process continues, then international operators will gain the market share and could take over the entire market.
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