Swedish gambling regulator Spelinspektionen said that operators must do more to provide responsible information about gambling-related harm and links to Swedish self-exclusion scheme Spelpaus on their websites, following an inspection of licensed operators carried out last autumn.
The regulator said some improvements had taken place since the last survey, which took place in 2019 and whose results were published in April 2020, but further work was still required from operators to prevent regulatory intervention.
It pointed out that it is the licensees’ responsibility to ensure they keep up to date with the relevant regulatory requirements, and that the shortcomings noted in the survey may lead to intervention from the regulator.
Most of the sites reviewed showed responsible gambling logos in both logged-out and logged-in mode, and had a sufficient reference to an independent gambling helpline, unlike in previous reports, the regulator said.
It emphasised that such features are of great importance for consumer protection and that all websites licensed for online gaming must meet these requirements.
However, it said that many of the websites lacked sufficient information about the licensee, for example, several did not have a telephone number and email address listed.
Many of the websites also lacked information on licence durations, and failed to state that Spelinspektionen is both a licensing and supervisory authority.
With regard to gambling-related risks, the regulator said that there are still major shortcomings in the industry.
For example, in order for its requirements to be fulfilled, information on the specific risks of gambling together with concrete examples of the negative consequences gambling can have upon an individual must be provided.
Shortcomings were also identified with regards to the provision of links for Sweden’s self-exclusion scheme, Spelpaus. A marketing campaign to promote the scheme was created in June 2020, after Spelinspektionen found that player awareness of the system was limited.
The Spelpaus scheme has been live since January 2019, when Sweden opened its regulated online gambling market. Suspensions via Spelpaus can last for one, three or six months, or can be applied indefinitely.
Earlier this week, Spelinspektionen awarded its 100th online operating licence to casino operator Mr Vegas.
