Spelinspektionen backs credit gambling ban, seeks clarity

Shirley Pulis Xerxen May 23, 2024

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Spelinspektionen backs credit gambling ban, seeks clarity

The Swedish Gambling Authority (Spelinspektionen) has issued a response to the Finance Department regarding a memorandum on a proposed new ban on credit gambling (Fi2024/00442).

Support for credit ban proposal

In its response, the Swedish authority declares its support to the proposed credit gambling ban. It agrees with the prohibition for license holders and gambling agents to facilitate or allow payments for gambling with credit cards. The ban is intended to cover all forms of licensed gambling, and the Authority is in favour of being able to grant exceptions in specific cases.

Concerns about charitable lotteries

Spelinspektionen points out that the memorandum lacks an analysis of how the ban on credit card payments would affect charitable lotteries that sell tickets digitally. According to the ban lotteries would have to ensure that payments are not made with credit cards or financed by third-party credit at the time of purchase. As such, the Authority is concerned about the potential impact on these lotteries and suggests that this issue requires further examination.

Clarification on scope of credit ban

In its response, the Authority clarifies that while the proposal prevents players from using credit cards to pay for gambling, it does not interpret the proposal as requiring license holders and gambling agents to verify if a debit card is being used with a credit facility at every transaction. Spelinspektionen suggests that the scope regarding debit cards with credit facilities could be more precisely articulated to avoid confusion.

New authorisation for Spelinspektionen

The Authority endorses the proposal to grant it the power to issue regulations concerning the action plans that license holders must develop under Chapter 14, Section 1 of the Swedish Gambling Act. This would give the Authority more control over ensuring that license holders comply with the requirements to prevent credit gambling.