The government-sponsored review, led by Lotteriinspektionen Director General Håkan Hallstedt, recommends that once licensed, online operators should be subject to a tax of 18 % on their gross gaming revenue.
Svenska Spel, the state-owned gambling operator, would retain its monopoly on casino and lottery operations. It operates four casinos via its subsidiary Cosmopol in Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmo and Sundsvall.it operates lottery brands sich as Lotto, Triss, Stryktipset and Oddset.
Sweden has given birth to many online companies including Mr Green, Cherry, Yggdrasil, Betsson, Evolution Gaming and Kindred.
Following the publication of the report there is expected to be a period of consultation. With a general election in September next year, the aim will be to legislate long before that date.
A period of industry consultation is expected to follow Friday’s report and final legislation may not arrive until December. Whatever legislation emerges from this process, it needs to be approved before September 2018, when the country holds its next general election.
Hallstedt is due to step down as director general of Lotteriinspektionen once he comes to the end of his second term in the position in May, having served as the regulator’s director general since September 2008.
Analysts predict that a regulated Swedish market would be
lucrative. More than 80 % of the country’s population uses the Internet on a
daily basis with hand-access becoming more popular. The popularity of esports
is also growing rapidly. On an average day, almost 400,000 Swedes watch
e-sports making it considerably more popular than traditional sports online.
Source: GMB / G3 Newswire
