Swedish government will start looking into illegal gambling
Unlicensed gambling and match-fixing are both illegal in Sweden, and the Swedish government is about to initiate a new inquiry into both activities. Gunnar Larsson, the director general of the Swedish Chamber of Commerce, has been tasked with carrying out the investigation. Mr. Larsson's mission is to determine how the market may be improved in terms of its attempts to combat match fixing and channelization.
Larsson will look at ways in which the market might be properly controlled in order to fight unlicensed gaming enterprises. This will include looking into concerns that have been identified by the Swedish Gambling Authority (SGA) about payment blocking.
In relation to the rigging of matches, the government has stated that it wants to see cooperation between the relevant authorities, sporting organizations, and gaming businesses. So, Larsson will endeavor to ensure that there is communication between the many bodies that are important.
Larsson will also conduct a review as part of the probe of the work that the SGA and Match Fixing Council have done to prevent match-fixing to this point.
The Minister of Social Security in Sweden, Ardalan Shekarabi, stated that "We have a responsibility to protect, above all, vulnerable consumers from illegal gambling." In addition to this, the Minister stated that "We also have a responsibility to protect the serious players in the gambling market from unfair competition."
“Increased efforts are needed to exclude illegal gambling from the Swedish gambling market.
"We are now also stepping up our efforts to combat match-fixing and organized crime," the statement read.
A poll conducted by the SGA and released earlier this month revealed that just five percent of gamblers in Sweden are aware of how to determine whether or not an online sportsbook or casino maintains a license to operate in Sweden.
According to the results of the poll, eight out of 10 Swedes had not played at a location in the preceding year that had a valid license. Yet, the people who organized the study, a company called Novus, indicated that this figure may be a lot lower because there is a lack of knowledge around license holders.
