Swedish government targets personal data in new problem gambling push
Officials look to enshrine operators’ rights to collect player information and gambling behaviour data
Sweden’s government has introduced proposals to increase operators access to players’ personal data in order to better combat the issue of problem gambling in the Nordic gambling hub.
Enshrined as part of a licensee’s duty of care when dealing with players, under the Swedish Gambling Act, the proposal would come into force from 1 January 2024.
“A licensee shall have the right to process personal data from established player profiles and each player’s gaming behaviour within the framework of its work to counter excessive gambling,” the proposal states.
“It is important that the license holders, in order to counter problem gambling, can follow the development of the player’s gambling behaviour and take the necessary measures to counter gambling problems.
“A license holder must also be allowed to process such information about health that the player himself provides to the license holder and information about the player’s finances in order to be able to take gambling responsibility measures and counteract excessive gambling,” the proposal adds.
As justification, the government has deemed this necessary due to the requirement for deposit limits to be imposed by Swedish licensees.
The imposition of these limits, as well as the ongoing monitoring of players, necessitates, in the eyes of those writing the proposals, an expansion of existing player data access.
Compatible supranational General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) applicable to member states are also cited in the proposal, as these pertain to the levels of data collected by licensees.
The proposal suggests that such data processing should be “proportionate” in nature and that potential misuse of personal data would need be tightly monitored by licensees, with operators advised to save data for however long is necessary to ensure responsible gambling standards are met.
“If the proposed changes are not made, the licensees will no longer have the right to process personal data about players’ finances and health within the framework of their work with the duty of care,” the proposal states.
“The fact that the license holders do not have such a right makes it more difficult for them to reduce the risk of gambling problems. This would not be consistent with the gaming policy objective,” it adds.