Sweden will remove gambling deposit cap on 14 November

The government of Sweden announced that the harsh online gambling restrictions that include a SEK 5,000 (i.e. £424/€491/$600) monthly deposit cap will end on 14 November. Nevertheless, the government, in cooperation with the local gambling regulator, Spelinspektionen, will evaluate the measures that were put in place and, at the same time, will propose new measures to strengthen player protection.

Regulations to Answer for Increased Gambling

Ardalan Shekarabi, minister of Social Insurance, stated: “Turnover in the gaming market has increased, and online gaming has probably benefited from changed consumption patterns since the reregulation. There is a risk that this has led to long-term behavioural change with increased gambling. This is a development that should be followed up to see if there is a need for further measures.”

Ann-Sofie Olsson, acting secretary general at Branschföreningen för Onlinespel (BOS), Sweden’s trade association for online gambling, said about the government’s initiative: “We welcome this decision, but we cannot stress enough that a sustainable regulated gaming market needs long-term and consistent, not temporary regulations. BOS is therefore looking forward to the dialogue that will come from the assignment the government has given to the Swedish Gambling Inspection, where the temporary measures will be evaluated.”

By 15 March 2022, Spelinspektionen needs to submit a report evaluating the temporary measures. Moreover there is a deadline for the remainder of the report for 31 October 2023.