The government’s memorandum proposes extending the controls in order to better protect players during the novel coronavirus pandemic, amid rising case numbers in the country.
“We see that the development of Covid-19 is going in the wrong direction in several parts of the country,” Minister for social security Ardalan Shekarabi said. “The situation is very serious.”
This has already seen the temporary controls imposed from 2 July until the end of the year, including the widely criticised US$3,100 limit for online casino, and a corresponding loss limit for land-based slots.
Players are also required to set limits on playing time when playing online casino games or slot machines, while bonuses for the vertical is limited to USD62.
The measures have been strongly criticised by the industry since they were first proposed in April this year, and were originally supposed to cover all products.
However, an initial consultation prompted widespread criticism, including concerns from former horse racing monopoly AB Trav och Galopp (ATG) on the impact on their operations. Shekarabi then opted to amend the plans to only impose the limits for online casino and land-based slots.
Even gambling regulator Spelinspektionen has spoken out against the controls, suggesting it was impossible to enforce across all operators. Operator association Branscheforenigen för Onlinespel (BOS), meanwhile, has claimed the measures have created “chaos” with no business sure of how to enforce the limits.
BOS has also warned that by making legal products less attractive to players, the government is creating scope for significant growth in offshore gambling, and therefore potentially putting players at greater risk of harm.
In its consultation, the government looks to highlight similar measures by other jurisdictions, pointing to Spain’s temporary advertising restrictions at the height of lockdown, Latvia’s temporary ban on all forms of gambling and Belgium’s €500 weekly deposit cap. However, the Belgian limits were already planned regardless of COVID-19.
Stakeholders have until 23 November to share their thoughts on the extension.
Source: GMB / iGB
