As the regulatory landscape in Sweden’s gambling market develops, the state has offered an olive branch to gambling operators by the recent announcement to employ an investigator into the black market. However, far from resolving latent questions, this development raises the question of whether the country’s gambling laws require more extensive reform.
Notably, the appointment of an investigator in the form of Gunnar Larsson, Director General of the Swedish Chamber of Commerce, was met by positive responses from both the state and private operators. Yet, the devil remains in the details, and the particulars pertaining to the investigation remain few and far in between. As Ola Wiklund, founder of Wiklund Law notes, “Minister Shekarabi suggests that a well-functioning gaming market presupposes that unlicensed gaming companies are excluded from the Swedish gaming market, and in turn wants to identify obstacles and propose solutions to enable more effective supervision of illegal gambling.”
“His statement is indeed confusing. Unlicensed gambling is not illegal in Sweden, insofar as the services are not directed towards the Swedish market. The SGA has made this clear. It is also important to point out that legal principles concerning jurisdiction and sovereignty pose insurmountable obstacles for Sweden to enforce sanctions against companies established in other EU states. The Swedish government is effectively blocked from interfering in the marketplace of another sovereign state. This is the reality Mr Shekarabi must contend with” Wiklund concluded.
Read the full article, published on EGR on the 1 of December 2020.
