Swedish Regulator Sheds Light on Sports Betting Restrictions

Spelinspektionen, the Swedish gambling regulator, has broken silence on the new betting restrictions. The regulator said that the restrictions will apply to esports betting as well.

The new restrictions are set to take effect on January 1, 2021 and will have an impact on competitions played domestically. The ban has been introduced to prevent match-fixing. The new set of controls state that players must be 18 or over to bet and that operators must not allow bets on football outside of the top four divisions in Sweden.

No Bets on Individual Performance

Also, players under 18 will not be allowed to bet on individual performance for an athlete, which includes scoring and shots on goal. This applies to tennis, bton, table tennis, shooting, skiing and individual performances in athletics. The regulations take effect only for bets on the outcome for both parties or if the match is played in Sweden.

The new betting restrictions also apply to esports betting. Esports betting has been on a rise during the past months. The regulations for esports will come into effect when the competitions take place on home soil.

The International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) has concerns that the newly introduced regulations will have counterproductive effects and that players will turn to unsecure offshore operators.

More about Spelinspektionen

The Swedish Gambling Authority, or Spelinspektionen is the Swedish gambling regulator and an expert authority in matters regarding gambling and lottery. The regulator is responsible for making sure that the gaming market in Sweden is legal, safe and reliable. Spelinspektionen also issues permits for lotteries and oversees the gambling and lottery activities in Sweden. The regulator provides consumers with the necessary tools for fair gaming and maintains a transparent and balanced gaming market. It is tasked with granting permits for national lotteries, gaming machines, restaurant casinos and bingos, as well as granting type approval to lottery tickets.

Source:

“Swedish regulator breaks silence on new sports betting restrictions”, Laetitia Bradamante, sigma.com.mt, December 4, 2020.