Spelinspektionen – Sweden’s gambling inspectorate – has revealed its Spelpaus self-exclusion programme has been used by more than 80,000 people.
The inspectorate upgraded the programme earlier this year, relaunching the Spelpaus.se website and updating it with new functionalities and clear guidance on self-exclusion.
Spelpaus was inaugurated in January 2019 to coincide with the relaunch of Sweden’s reformed gambling sector, and an updated version – ‘Spelpaus 2.0’ – was subsequently released after a revision of the market in 2021.
At the time of the upgrade, Spelinspektionen reported the number of participants as 75,000.
Now, just a few months later, the inspectorate has issued a revised figure.
“The interest in suspending oneself from games is great and the number of suspended people now amounts to over 80,000 people,” noted Spelinspektionen on its website.
“Spelpaus.se is an important part of the Gambling Authority’s work with gambling responsibility.”
In September, Spelinspektionen announced that it would introduce its B2B licensing system from March 1, 2023, despite current legislators having made no progress regarding the process.
Swedish operators are now waiting for the Riksdag to conclude its review of final amendments that will update Sweden’s Gaming Act, with changes set to be implemented as of July 2023.
Final amendments will be overseen by a new centre-right coalition government that won September’s General Election.