Sweden being sued by European Union over Online Gambling

Following repeated complaints by the European Commission about Sweden’s online gambling laws, the country will now be taken to court by the European Union.

Sweden’s current internet gambling laws only allow for domestic and state-run operators to enter the market. And the state-run Svenska Spel has exclusive rights to some online casino games. Any EU member that has such exclusive online gambling laws must demonstrate that it’s done to curb addiction. Moreover, the advertising and offering of internet gambling services must be consistent with a goal of reducing addiction.

However, the European Commission argues that the method in which Svenska Spel operates and promotes itself is does not fall in line with consumer protection. From their standpoint, Sweden is not concerned enough with preventing gambling addiction to justify “restricting the free movement of services.”

Now facing a lawsuit, Sweden’s new Minister for Public istration says that the government will speed up their efforts to come up with a new licensing system and strengthen the current regulatory body.

The first time that the European Commission complained about Sweden’s online gambling laws was in 2007. Last year, they issued a warning that the Scandinavian country needed to get serious about changing their internet gambling laws. And now, it’s finally come to the EU taking Sweden to court over the matter.

The European Gaming and Betting Association is certainly happy with the move. European Gaming, which represents privately owned iGaming operators, said that this is a “breakthrough decision.” Maarten Haijer, the organization’s General Attorney, added that, “this is a breakthrough that shows a strong commitment to upholding fundamental European freedoms.”

Sweden isn’t the only EU member on the commission’s radar. They are also looking into the licensing procedure for Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Lithuania, Poland and Romania. Based on their aggressive action with Sweden, these countries might want to rethink their online gaming policies if they’re not in line with the EU.