Spelinspektionen Thoroughly Checked Casino Websites
Spelinspektionen, the Swedish gambling regulator, carried out an inspection of operators in autumn 2020. It claimed that licensees don’t provide enough information on gaming-related harm. There must also be available access to the Swedish scheme Spelpaus on the operators’ websites. Anyway, the regulator has emphasized that some improvements can be seen since the results of the last survey had been made public in April 2020. To prevent regulatory involvement, the operators have to do their best while implementing further improvements.
The presence of deficiencies pointed out in the survey might lead to the regulator’s intervention. To avoid this, the licensees are responsible for keeping up to date with the regulator’s requirements.
According to the previous survey, many websites didn’t contain responsible gambling logos in the logged-in and logged-out modes. Moreover, far not all the websites had enough information about independent gambling customer support. Currently, the regulator said that the situation with the above-mentioned issues has improved. These features must be available on all websites that offer licensed online gaming to ensure customer protection.
On the other hand, there are still many websites that didn’t provide such sufficient details as the licensees’ email address and telephone number or lack information on license duration. There are some cases when the sites don’t point out that Spelinspektionen is a licensing and supervisory authority at the same time.
Spelinspektionen added that the gambling industry has loads of shortcomings related to gambling risks. In accordance with the regulator’s requirements, the gambling operators must provide sufficient information on the gambling risks and show the precise instances of the negative impact gambling may have on a player.
The regulated online gambling market in Sweden was open in January 2019 while the Spelpaus scheme started operating. It happened once the Svenska Spel’s monopoly had faced the end. The main goal of Spelinspektionen is to ensure strong consumer protections in place for gambling. The licensed operators must have a comprehensive duty to protect gamblers from excessive gambling. In addition, promotion gambling without a license is criminalized.
According to the scheme, suspensions may last for 1, 3, or 6 months and it is also possible that the duration is not defined at all. In June 2020, Spelinspektionen initiated a marketing campaign for promoting Spelpaus. The main reason for promoting was that player awareness of the scheme was restricted. The latest survey showed there are some gaps when it comes to the provision of Spelpaus links.
There is information that restrictions implemented by Spelinspektionen are regarded as being strict. That’s why Swedish companies are planning to leave the gambling market and aren’t applying for the license. Maria McDonald, a lawyer with Nordic Gambling, said: “I see operators giving up their licenses or withdrawing their license applications because they do not see the market as profitable as we were hoping. Stiff fines for violations mean operators are afraid of doing anything out of the ordinary.”
Despite the attorney’s claims, Spelinspektionen issued a 100th gambling license to Mr. Vegas at the beginning of February. This casino operator receives permission to use Mr.Vegas.se and Mr.Vegas.com for offering online gambling in Sweden. The license is issued for 5 years and is valid until 31 January 2026. The variety of online games is pretty wide, so players can try out about 2,000 online casino games, including scratchcards, slots, live casino options, blackjack, and some others. Mr. Vegas is also licensed by the Malta Gaming Authority.