Sweden Considers Additional Measures against Unlicensed Play, Match-Fixing

A new proposal calls for changes in the Gaming Act which may ban all unlicensed play from Sweden. If the government approves the tougher restrictions, even unlicensed gambling operators who are not targeting Swedish players may be banned. Besides a crackdown on unlicensed gambling, the proposal calls for strict measures against match-fixing.

Will Sweden Ban All Unlicensed Operators?

Sweden, one of the countries that already have tough gambling regulations is considering imposing even stricter measures. A new probe into the Gaming Act may push forward stricter regulations aiming at restricting all unlicensed providers from offering services in the country. The Swedish Chamber of Commerce director-general, Gunnar Larsson led a new investigation that proposes changes to the gaming law.

The proposal aims to introduce tougher restrictions applicable for all online gambling activities that Swedish players can access. In other words, if the proposal is accepted, all unlicensed gambling activities may be restricted, not only those that are specifically targeting the Swedish players.

“We view positively the proposals that strengthen our opportunities to work more effectively against unlicensed play and match-fixing.”

Gunnar Larsson, director general at the Swedish Chamber of Commerce

Larsson, who presented the investigation commissioned by the government outlined that the proposals will help in the fight against unlicensed operators, as well as match-fixing. Spelinspektionen’s director-general, Camilla Rosenberg, added that Spelinspektionen is looking forward to collaborating with the “players to better achieve the goals of the gaming market reform.”

Under the proposal, Spelinspektionen would be able to request information from payment providers regarding gaming businesses operating without a license. The regulator may also have the option to conduct “test purchases” for various online games to determine if those gambling sites allow payment from Swedish players.

Additional Measures to Crack Down Match-Fixing

Besides unlicensed operators, the new proposal seeks to crackdown match-fixing. The proposal tasks the regulator with conducting investigations about match-fixing, which would allow Spelinspektionen to collect and analyze evidence.

Additionally, the operators that are licensed to offer sports wagering will need to report suspected match-fixing to the regulator. Whenever the regulator discovers suspected match-fixing it would need to notify immediately the relevant sports federation, as well as the gambling operator.

Besides reporting suspicious match-fixing, the new regulations propose that operators monitor whether sports players have placed bets on games. As a violation of rules on match-fixing, licensees must also report such cases to Spelinspektionen. The proposal also calls licensed operators to report suspected match-fixing to sports federations.