Kindred slams “ill-founded” Swedish deposit cap proposals
The temporary measures on online casino games are expected to come into force on 7 February 2022 and remain in place until June if they are deemed necessary.
As well as the deposit cap, other proposed measures include a mandatory login time limit for players gambling online or at state-owned locations, and a loss limit when gambling at a machine outside of a casino.
It was also proposed that the the value of a bonus with an online operator, and when playing at slot machines in places other than a casino, should be limited to a maximum of SEK100.
Despite commending the government’s response during the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, Kindred remains adamant that the proposals should not go ahead. The operator claims that the suggested measures would “weaken rather than strengthen” consumer protection.
Kindred said in response: “The restrictions on the online gambling industry have been ill-founded and did not meet the criteria of evidence-based policymaking. The current proposal for gambling restrictions fails to establish explicit facts and concrete evidence as a base for the decision – we struggle to find anything affirmative to ascribe to the ministry’s proposal.
“If the Swedish government, despite the serious objections raised, decides to move ahead with temporary gambling responsibility measures, the simplest and least problematic solution would be to impose exactly the same measures that applied during the previous restriction period.”
Swedish online gambling association Branschföreningen för Onlinespel (BOS) was also critical of the proposed measures. Regulator Spelinspektionen claimed it would not object to the restrictions, while admitting that their effects on players and operators are still unknown.
This would be the second time that deposit caps have been introduced in Sweden, after the government introduced an SEK5,000 limit in June 2020.
The decision was met with controversy at the time, with a consultation by the government receiving negative reactions.