Sweden mulls new loss limit restrictions

The Swedish government is set to reintroduce online casino restrictions for operators in the Nordic market with a new weekly loss limit to be implemented.

Spearheaded by Minister for Social Security Ardalan Shekarabi, the new weekly loss limit of SEK4,000 (£325.58) would be introduced from 7 February and end on 30 June.

The return to weekly loss limits is a replication of last year’s policy which saw the government implement restrictions as Covid-19 forced Swedes into lockdown.

A SEK5,000 weekly loss limit was first introduced as the country went into lockdown, with an initial expiration scheduled for June, before being eventually lifted in November.

Shekarabi said: “We are now again proposing stricter rules in the gaming market during the pandemic, as a result of the current situation.

“The risks in the gaming market require that we tighten consumer protection, not least to protect the most vulnerable consumers.

“In a situation where the pandemic leads to people becoming more socially isolated, there is an increased risk for vulnerable consumers to end up in or strengthen problem gambling,” he added.

Reacting to the potential new policy, the BOS general secretary Gustaf Hoffstedt said deposit limits had to lead to a fragmentation within the industry that made it difficult to manage gambling-related harm.

He said: “As the system is designed, it leads to players who want to play for more money than the proposed limit start new gaming accounts with new gaming companies.

“The statutory duty of care, which aims for the gaming company to acquire an overall picture of gaming behaviour and offer support to risk players, is lost.

“When gambling becomes as fragmented as it becomes with deposit limits, no individual gaming company can capture risky gaming behaviour, and thus a cornerstone of Swedish consumer protection in the gaming law is lost,” he added.

The proposal is currently out for consultation.