Sweden’s New Regulated Gambling Market
In order to guarantee the security of the online players, Sweden has voted and accepted a new gambling act and licensing system. As decided in 2018, the new regulated iGaming market opened for business on January 1, 2019. According to the new gambling act, all companies interested in operating in the Swedish Gambling Market are required to have an authorised licence. The new gambling act also aims to restrict the negative effects of gambling. Licensed operators will be required to pay 18% tax and players’ winnings will only be taxed if they come from an unlicensed casino site. According to the Swedish Minister for Public Administration Ardalan Shekarabi’s official statement:
“We are reinforcing the Swedish Gambling Authority, granting it more and sharper tools. Unlicensed operators will be shut out of the market and licence-holders must conduct their activities in accordance with the law. Today we are also instructing the Swedish Agency for Public Management to follow up the reform to quickly make any amendments to the act if the goals of the reform are not achieved”
Sweden Issues Licences to 60 Companies
Sweden’s official gambling regulator, which was recently rebranded to Spelinspektionen issued its first gambling licences in November 2018. 12 companies were initially approved, among which the popular international brand bet365 and GVC Holdings. We remind you that GVC Holdings gained extra popularity with its recent takeover of Ladbrokes Coral Group PLC. In Sweden, however, the company will launch its casino sites bWin, PartyPoker and PartyCasino. The Swedish iGaming market, however, will see many more excellent brands as Spelinspektionen has already granted licences to 60 companies. One of the licensed companies was White Hat Gaming, which is expected to operate 24 branded casino sites such as 21Casino, Casimba, DreamJackpot and others. Another popular company who received a licence was Hero Gaming, which will launch in Sweden casino sites such as CasinoHeroes, SpeedyCasino and Betser. AhaWorld has also secured a licence for its website AhaBingo.com. Some of the other companies to receive licences were Paddy Power Betfair, Gaming Innovation Group and Paf. We are sure that we light up your interest already, and you are most likely curious about the best Swedish casinos that you can enjoy.
Anyway, there is one more company, quite popular as well, that earned a license from the authority. We are talking about Hero Gaming. According to the plans, it will launch several online casino sites among which are Betser, SpeedyCasino and CasinoHeroes, of course. The site AhaBingo.com is operated by AhaWorld, yet another provider that holds the needed licenses. Other casino companies that are fully legal are Betfair, Paddy Power, Paf and Gaming Innovation Group, all renowned and high-class companies.
Microgaming Launches Its Content in Sweden
Sweden’s new regulation system also gave the opportunity to Microgaming to launch its award-winning content on the gambling market. Over the past few months, Microgaming has supported and collaborated with its related operators. The company has provided them with all necessary documents and information required for the Swedish gambling licence. As a result, all Microgaming operators can now easily prepare the Swedish versions of their casino sites, concentrating on only the best content for the local market. The operators will provide Swedish players with a high-quality desktop and mobile Microgaming games, including popular titles such as Game of Thrones and Immortal Romance. Some of the most lucrative jackpot games will also become available on the Swedish gambling market. Players from Sweden can already access some of the most popular Microgaming operators such as Genesis, LeoVegas, Coolbet, Betsson Group, PokerStars, Unibet, Comeon and Global Gaming. More casino sites are expected to debut on the Swedish gambling market throughout the year. The Chief Operating Officer at Microgaming Andrew Clucas explains the expansion to the Swedish market with the following words:
“Sweden is a significant market for Microgaming and we are thrilled to offer our operators in the region a fully integrated solution to ensure compliance in line with regulations set by the Swedish Gaming Authority. This move continues our strategic expansion in key regulated markets, working closely with regulators and supporting operators as they grow their offering with our diverse portfolio of content built with player protection in mind.”
