It is no real surprise that, given the European Commission’s recent decision not to follow up on cases of EU law infringement in matters related to gambling, individual nations are coming forward with new regulations and reforms. Emboldened by the EC’s recommendation for these matters to be determined by national governments and judiciaries, several nations are expected to pass new laws. Some industry figures are concerned that these laws will contravene EU law but fail to be addressed at a Union level.
We’ve seen recent moves in Norway to regulate advertisements of gambling. Now, another Nordic nation is making moves, with a new proposal out of Sweden for licensing gambling. A strongly worded statement was issued by Ardalan Shekara, minister for public administration, who stated “The central government will regain control of the Swedish gambling market.”
The proposed changes include requiring that all operators receive a license to function in Sweden, and be required to function according to Swedish laws. The government also plans to restrict operators who do not hold such a license from offering services to Swedish residents. Alongside this, the government is also pushing for tougher penalties for promoting and offering illegal gambling, and the creation of a new criminal classification, gambling fraud, to relate to match fixing in sports.
A draft bill of the proposals has already been submitted to the EC, and Sweden is expected to start receiving license proposals in July 2018. Under the new proposals, operators who flout the law will be subject to fines or even custodial sentences.
Since it aims to overhaul a previously wholly state-owned gambling market (aside from unlicensed “rogue” operators), the move is widely regarded as a liberalization of the gambling market in Sweden.
