Sweden scraps proposed deposit and bonus limits
Government retreats on plans for SEK4,000 weekly deposit limit as BOS rejoices at news
The Swedish government has confirmed the proposed reintroduction of deposit and bonus limits have been scrapped.
Originally spearheaded by Minister for Social Security Ardalan Shekarabi, the new weekly deposit limit of SEK4,000 (£325.58) was set to be introduced from 7 February and end on 30 June.
However, the government has made a U-turn on its proposals, which mimicked those put in place during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The reintroduction of the measures were met with support from the Swedish Gambling Authority but faced harsh criticism from the Swedish online gambling association BOS.
Reacting to the decision to scrap the proposals, BOS secretary general Gustaf Hoffstedt said: “It is a wise and well-balanced decision that the government has made.
“Partly based on the general development of the pandemic. Partly, and above all, because precisely these restrictions would not achieve their purpose of protecting public health.
“We are in favour of strong regulation of the gaming market, and a prerequisite for this is that the intention with various reforms can also be expected to have the intended effect. That was not the case with the Covid restrictions, and it is therefore welcome that they are withdrawn,” he added.
Meanwhile, LeoVegas Mobile Gaming Group CEO Gustaf Hagman told EGR: “If they are taking away the restrictions for everything else like restaurants and bars then they can’t continue to have it on the gaming side. That would look very bad from the government’s perspective. It’s really great news for us.”
Elsewhere, the government confirmed it was set to introduce requirements for B2B licences in the market, along with further restrictions around advertising due to come into effect in 2023.