Swedes have been crazy about the game of dice since the 11th century when Sweden and Norway settled a land dispute among themselves.
In Sweden, land-based gambling got a legal status in the year 1994 and to online gambling in the year 2002.
The government nationalized a private bookmaker in 1943. Then in 1997, the nationalized company was merged with a smaller state lottery to become Svenska Spel.
Acts governing Gambling in Sweden
The two important Acts governing gambling in Sweden are, The Casinos Act (1999) Kasinolag and The Lotteries Act (1994) Lotterilagen These Acts granted the Swedish state and its agencies full control over land-based gambling.
The Lotteries Act was amended on 1 August 2002, to enable Svenska Spel to include digital platforms. Now the customers were able to play instant scratch card games online.
Between 2002 to 2005, online poker, online Bingo, online Triss, Tia, online Pyramid, and many more online games, were allowed. This gave birth to new terminology in the gambling industry – casinopro online. This was the gamblers, who are starting spending more and more time on gambling as they can play it from anywhere.
Bosse Ringholm, who was then Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden, justified the decision by saying that this step would ensure that those Swedes who chose to play online poker would now play through an organization that was under the control of the Swedish state.
Digital Advertisement Restriction and Monopoly
The law also permitted Swedish State-licensed casinos to advertise to market its services through digital media. In Sweden, through various media, including digital media. However, the Swedish Government has always resisted opening its betting market for non-Swedish companies. This gave a monopoly to Svenska Spel in the gambling market.
Due to this monopoly, major Swedish gambling companies such as Mr. Green, Unibet, and LeoVegas had to establish their headquarters abroad, which led to job losses. This severely impacted tax income as well as opportunities for the Swedish government.
What led to the government revise the restrictions?
Gradually Svenska Spel kept losing its market shares to the international competitors.
To combat this loss, Starting January 1st, 2019, all the international operators who are targeting Swedish players will be required to apply for a license with the Swedish Gaming Authority. They will have to pay the license cost of between 40,000 to 70,000 EUR. I addition to this fee, the operators will also have to pay an 18% tax.
At this stage, we cannot assess the overall impact of the Act on the online gambling industry in Sweden. We cannot even assess any knock-on effect on sports and sponsorships. What we can conclude is that the re-regulated market gives both the online gambling operators and sports trust and wider cooperation. It increases the earning potential from gambling for national competitors.
The game has such an important place in Swedish culture that it has become associated with the biggest festival, Christmas. People of Sweden play this game on all important occasions, online, on land, and in waters.
Entertainment Factors for Online Casinos
For the online players, it’s important that the casinos they choose offer them games of their interest. In addition to this, the bonuses and promotions should also be there. Whether the gamer is after a specific title or a variant or is looking for wide a range of games at the same place, the online casino should offer that. A lot of players from Sweden visit casinon.me here and choose the best online casinos from the list that are provided by casino experts at that website. The customer should not settle for less in the competitive online world.
It is also important for the player should choose a licensed and recognized online site. It is best to check out for prospects without risking anything.