PlayOJO cuts television adverts in Sweden

SkillOnNet-operated gaming brand PlayOJO has opted to halt certain television advertising activities in Sweden in an effort to reduce exposure to underage players, and is now urging rival brands to follow suit.

The operator will no longer allow its adverts to be broadcast between the hours of 4pm and 9pm, so as to avoid promoting its services to young people.

PlayOJO went live in the regulated Swedish market via the SkillOnNet licence earlier this year and admits that it has advertised heavily to support the launch.

SkillOnNet chief executive Costas Alexandrou encouraged other operators to follow PlayOJO's lead to better protect minors in the market. 

“As a responsible, licensed platform provider in Sweden, we aim to moderate our marketing and do everything we can to limit any potential exposure to underage players,” he said. “The PlayOJO team is now working with TV broadcasters to withdraw the ads.

“If other online casino operators in Sweden really do care about responsible gambling, they too should review their advertising strategies and schedules and do everything they can to limit potential exposure to those under 18 years of age.”

Swedish regulator Spelinspektionen has moved quickly to crack down on what it considers to be excessive advertising by licensees since the market opened in January this year. The Swedish Gaming Market Commission (Spelmarknadsutredningen) is currently in the process of analysing ways to control advertising, that may see a blanket ban on all gambling ads enforced.

PlayOJO is not the first operator to commit to reducing its advertising. In April Sweden’s former gambling monopoly Svenska Spel stopped advertising its online casino for the rest of 2019, over concerns that the vertical could lead to significant increases in problem gambling in the market.