Swedish watchdog warns RG measures are failing players

• Sweden’s National Audit Office has warned that existing responsible gambling safeguards are insufficient
• Approximately 350,000 people in Sweden are estimated to have some level of gambling problem
• Practical guidelines are needed to help prevent harm among young people and children

Sweden may need to do more to strengthen its responsible gambling and consumer protection measures, a new critical report by the Swedish National Audit Office notes.

Existing guardrails have proven insufficient, the watchdog said, citing an increase in gambling-related problems among vulnerable demographics, such as young people and children.

Both the Public Health Agency and the National Board of Health and Welfare have been advised to come up with a new framework that coordinates efforts and knowledge in a bid to protect these groups.

Swedish watchdog wants practical guidelines to help protect vulnerable consumers

The report comes at a time when 350,000 people in Sweden are estimated to have some degree of gambling-related problem, with the watchdog adding:

"The review shows, among other things, that the authorities' knowledge support does not meet the municipalities' and healthcare providers' needs for practical guidance to detect, prevent, and treat gambling problems."

One of the main ideas of the report is to localize efforts and make more people responsible for detecting and preventing gambling harm.

One of the ideas the watchdog outlines is for the Public Health Agency to develop guidelines based on empirical evidence that are shared with municipalities, which can apply them in turn, with the priority to shield young people and children from gambling-related harms.

Matej Novota, Head of Casino Research at Casino Guru, also weighed in on the report, arguing that evidence-based approaches are how safeguards around consumer protection should be built.

"I welcome the Swedish National Audit Office's latest report, as it takes an empirical approach towards the issue. Rather than calling for blanket solutions that rarely work, the watchdog has acknowledged the need for a tailored, evidence-based approach that can effectively minimize gambling-related harm, and specifically in vulnerable groups. Drawing from cross-jurisdictional experiences to find what works best in minimizing harm could be a sensible approach here."

In a statement, the watchdog outlined the issue, citing a lack of effective and operational support despite the increasing numbers of gambling-related harm among the risk groups mentioned.

Most of these issues are due to a lack of concrete scientific research to back the safeguards needed to help consumers and vulnerable groups steer clear. The National Board of Health and Welfare should also pitch in and issue recommendations to social services and healthcare operations to detect and treat children and young people, the report advised.

In a translated statement, the watchdog recommended: "Recommendations for gambling problems also need to be included in the national guidelines for abuse and addiction, which would strengthen the overall work against harmful use and addiction, while clearly highlighting gambling problems."

Sweden is actively reviewing its gambling laws, and regulatory measures

Sweden has been actively debating its iGaming regulation, with various proposals put forward over the past months and years.

One notable proposal has been to apply tighter restrictions on products that involve a higher risk to the player, referring to casino games that have a higher incidence of gambling addiction

The idea has been criticized by the Swedish Trade Association for Online Gambling, which argued that singling out individual verticals would only empower the black market by sapping regulator operators’ competitiveness.

Separately, Sweden has undertaken a wider crackdown on illegal gambling locally, with authorities dismantling an illegal operation in December. Local authorities were assisted by Spanish police and Europol.

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