Sweden May Regulate Online Gambling Market in Early 2019
Sweden May Regulate Online Gambling Market in Early 2019 Commissioned by the Swedish government and led by Lotteriinspektionen Director General Håkan Hallstedt, the review recommends that the country scraps Svenska Spel’s current monopoly over online gambling and replace it with a more liberal licensing system.
Swedish media reported that the gambling industry review suggested that an 18% tax on gross revenue be imposed on companies that opt for the country’s regulated markets. The proposed tax rate is a bit higher than the 15% one on gross gaming revenue the UK collects from operators, but lower than Denmark’s tax rate of 20%. With that said, the Swedish tax rate can be deemed a reasonable one.
As we are familiar with by now, when a new regulation is put in place in regards to online gambling, all Gaming Operators that are not licensed will be considered as illegal and receive heavy penalties if their operations proceed. However, these operators are of course able to apply for the appropriate licenses should the requirements be met.
In a press release from today, the gambling group said it welcomed the proposal for a new regulatory regime in Sweden and that lawmakers should not hesitate to introduce the new licensing system as quickly as possible and that any delays could “endanger the whole reform.” The Unibet brand is currently one of the big names on the Swedish unregulated landscape. The operator’s positive disposal toward today’s proposals must be a very bright indication that it will seek a license from the local regulators when the time for this comes.
Stockholm
