Play’n GO Study Says 55% of Swedish Players Want Bonus Buy Ban

A new poll from Play’n GO has revealed more than half of the online slot players in Sweden would agree with a ban on Bonus Buy mechanics imposed on online games.

The mechanic, as revealed in a statement issued together with the survey results, enables gamers to buy their way into free spins or bonus rounds, “for hundreds of times more than their initial stake for a single spin” in the majority of cases. 

According to Play’n GO, this lets companies get around local regulations on stake limits, by allowing players to stake much greater sums than would otherwise be permitted.

55% of Swedish Slot Players Agree to the Ban

The 2005-founded gaming entertainment supplier of online slots has reported that 55% of the interviewed slot players in the country would agree with regulatory changes that would attract a ban on the Bonus Buy mechanic. 

As for the population at large, the percentage was even higher, with 69% of all surveyed respondents suggesting they would also give the green light to such a change in legislation.

Respondents who expressed their views in favor of the ban argued that the mechanic could be used to exploit gamblers who are more vulnerable.

Plus, more than 60% of the poll respondents believed a change in the country’s regulations similar to the current bans applied in the Netherlands and the UK, would be a “responsible” solution. 

Even more, 53% of the study participants said they would feel “proud” if they saw the gambling regulator in Sweden introduce the ban, while 63% of them believed the ban would send out the clear message that the government is taking “gambling issues seriously.”

Play’n GO Still Standing Firm on Its Anti Bonus Buy Position 

The company never agreed to develop Bonus Buy games, and the decision, according to co-founder and chief executive officer Johan Törnqvist, has already cost them “hundreds of millions of Swedish Krona.” 

However, the CEO continues to firmly stand by the decision made in 2021, arguing these games Bonus Buy games “are harmful to players, and to the long-term health and sustainability of the entire industry” which is why they should be excluded from Sweden’s regulated gaming market. 

He added that Play’n GO has been an ongoing and “vocal advocate for a sustainable, regulated, and thriving gaming industry” that relies on the entertainment-first policy. 

At the start of the year, the supplier announced it smashed the record for daily active players in December 2023, going over any other month in history.

During the same time, Play’n GO inked an agreement with William Hill for the Italian market.