Sweden’s minister for public administration says state-run gaming operator Svenska Spel will retain its monopoly on gambling in the country for now, despite attempts by other entities to penetrate the market. At the same time, Svenska Spel wants to introduce legal online gaming to boost revenues and reclaim market share that has been lost to illegal operators.
“We sent in an application last June or July,” Svenska Spel spokesman Johan Tisell said. “When we can anticipate an answer is really difficult to say. There’s been a change in government, and now they may be focused on entirely different issues than our application. We hope to get an answer before the summer.”
Minister Ardalan Shekarabi recently sent a videotaped message to the Nya Spel-Sverige conference in Stockholm saying the country is not currently open to new operators.
Meanwhile, the European Court of Justice continues to press Sweden to be compliant with E.U. gaming laws. The European Commission has accused the Swedish government of “not exercising adequate control over the exclusive right-holder.”
