Swedish Government waives Covid-19 regulations for online casinos
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The Swedish Government has finally decided to waive Covid-19 restrictions placed upon online casinos operating across the country.
Originally enforced on 2 July 2020, the Swedish Government mandated a temporary set of rules for Swedish online casinos, designed to protect more people gambling from home during the Covid-19 pandemic. The set of rules were extended in July 2021, meaning they have been in place for an 18-month period.
The restrictions were designed to limit players’ weekly deposits to a maximum of SEK 5,000 ($534), while any bonuses offered by online casinos had to be capped at SEK 100.
The decision not to further extend these restrictions, which would have happened from 7 February, was welcomed by The Swedish Trade Association for Online Gambling (BOS).
Gustaf Hoffstedt, Secretary General, BOS, commented: “It is a wise and well-balanced decision that the Government has made. Partly based on the general development of the pandemic. Partly, and above all, because precisely these restrictions would not achieve their purpose of protecting public health.
“We are in favour of strong regulation of the gaming market, and a prerequisite for this is that the intention with various reforms can also be expected to have the intended effect. That was not the case with the covid restrictions, and it is therefore welcome that they are withdrawn.”
When the initial restrictions were implemented, BOS argued that such limitations would not have the desired effect, and would in fact be detrimental to players’ finances.
BOS claimed that, instead of forcing players to limit their betting, it would simply encourage them to switch operator, making it harder for operators to carry out Know Your Customer and AML searches.
The impact of Covid-19 restrictions on casinos has been discussed at length at the start of 2022. Earlier this week, the European Casino Association conducted a survey of its land-based members to understand how the pandemic has affected operations across the continent.
While most are now allowed to open, a range of detrimental restrictions and curfews remain.
