Svenska Spel has addressed a recent article published in Swedish media outlet Aftonbladet which questioned the operator’s player protection practices.
The state-owned gambling company argued that the Aftonbladet’s interview with Svenska Spel CEO, Fredrik Wastenson, is referencing previous years of operations.
In doing so, the outlet failed to address that the operator has since worked closely in conjunction with the government to improve player safety standards across the board, Svenska Spel alleges.
More specifically, Aftonbladet questioned Wastenson on the fine Svenska Spel was issued by Sweden’s gambling authority, Spelinspektionen, relating to a number of players spending more than they could afford in October 2021.
The media outlet gave a comparison with Norwegian betting operator Norsk Tipping, also a state-owned enterprise, which imposes a monthly loss limit on games that if surpassed leads to additional actions being taken against the player account in question.
Wastenson confirmed for Aftonbladet that such measures also exist in Svenska Spel’s model of operation, with losses depending on the customer’s age – that being SEK 2,000 per month for those aged 18 and 19, SEK 10,000 for ages 20-24, and SEK 20,000 for anyone above 25.
Svenska Spel’s CEO further stated that the company’s responsible gambling policies have been strengthened since 2021 following a comprehensive review process.
This was also confirmed in the operator’s latest statement, which read: “We act on loss amounts based on age. Problem gambling is a huge tragedy for every person affected and also their relatives.
“Therefore, we work to ensure that our customers play within reasonable limits and do not develop problems with their playing.
“And we contact all customers who exhibit any form of risky gambling. When it comes to light that one of our customers has gambling problems, we suspend the customer from playing with us and try to help the customer get the right support.”
Another key point from the interview addressed by Svenska Spel revolves around detecting problem behaviour when players have accounts with more than one betting company.
“This is a big challenge that makes it difficult for us as an individual gaming company to see the customer’s entire gaming experience,” Svenska Spel added. “We can only see how the customer plays with us. And we do everything we can for those we become aware of who have risky gambling behaviour.”
The company further assured that it takes all necessary precautions to assess its own players’ gambling behaviour, drawing from “evidence-based research” and current legislation, with losses being ‘only one of the criteria’.
Svenska Spel concluded by stating that its whole gambling responsibility strategy is being advised by the legal framework that all Swedish licence holders are required to adhere to.
