Swedish government goes to war on match-fixing with beefed-up regime

The Swedish government has unveiled proposals to combat so-called “rogue gambling companies” and organised crime groups from making money from fixing Swedish sporting events for betting purposes.

Measures introduced include the creation of mystery shopper-style customer accounts which can be used by the Swedish Gambling Authority to make so-called “test purchases” in order for the regulator to check operator compliance with existing regulations.

The bill looks to expand information sharing by betting companies, sporting associations and integrity-based monitoring bodies to cooperate with the goal of countering match-fixing.

In addition, the legislation would allow the Swedish government to determine the level of information required to be provided by payment service providers, with the express aim of creating more effective payment blocking measures.

Also included is an obligation by gambling operators to hand over information required by the police in connection with criminal acts relating to gambling.

These proposals are a direct follow up to a Swedish government inquiry into match-fixing and its subsequent report published in September 2021.

All measures have been approved by the Swedish regulator and the Swedish State Administrative Authority (Statskontoret) following lengthy deliberations.

In a release confirming the proposals, the government explained its measures were to “reduce the negative consequences of gambling and create greater security in the games” by excluding illegal players from the Swedish market, while also combatting match-fixing.

Sweden’s Minister of Financial Markets, Niklas Wykman, outlined the challenges faced by the authorities when dealing with the issue.

“Through the proposals, the government takes important steps in the work against illegal gambling and match-fixing, something which is, among other things, a source of income for organised crime,” Wykman said.

“These proposals contribute to creating better order in the gambling market, improve the fight against crime and increase the protection for Swedish consumers,” he added.

If approved by the Riksdag – the supreme decision-making body in Sweden – the proposals would come into force from 1 July 2023.

The proposals are the latest attempts by the Swedish government to ensure the Swedish Gambling Act retains its effectiveness in ensuring both the stability and regulation of the Swedish market by updating existing language to futureproof legislation.

Earlier this month, the Swedish government introduced proposals to increase operators’ access to players’ personal data in order to better combat the issue of problem gambling.

Enshrined as part of a licensee’s duty of care when dealing with players, the proposal would come into force from 1 January 2024.