Svenska Spel survey casts doubt on effectiveness of Swedish deposit limits

A customer survey conducted by former Swedish monopoly operator Svenska Spel has highlighted the ineffectiveness of temporary restrictions on online casino gameplay.

The survey questioned 400 Svenska Spel customers who reached the SEK5,000 (£430) weekly deposit limit, at which point their accounts were restricted.

Of these, one third said they had increased their online casino spending with another operator after being denied by Svenska Spel.

Four out of 10 Svenska Spel customers said they reduced their total gambling spend after they were restricted by the operator, including gambling at other gaming companies.

However, more than half of those surveyed said they continued to play at the same level or had even increased their gambling in some cases.

Eighty-six percent of survey participants said they had gambled with more than one operator since the introduction of the temporary regulation, with 28% indicating they had gambled with five or more operators.

Of the players surveyed, 41% said they had been blocked from gambling at licensed operators since the limit was introduced, having already hit the deposit limit.

More than a third of players surveyed (39%) said they had reduced their total gambling spend following the introduction of deposit limits, however almost half (47%) said they had not changed their spending levels.

Despite the impact of the restrictions, more than half (52%) remained positive about the restrictions, particularly those who had experienced gambling-related harm.

Earlier this month, the Swedish government launched a consultation on whether to extend these deposit, bonus and other temporary restrictions beyond the end of 2020.

The restrictions have proved unpopular with operators, with LeoVegas CEO Gustaf Hagman highlighting a potential decrease in channelisation to licensed operators as an ongoing consequence of these measures.

The extension consultation ends on 23 November.