Sweden Won't Offer "Temporary" Licenses

With Sweden regulating its online gambling market, many developers and operators rushed to get their licenses. The new liberalized online market will be launched…

…on January 1st and already 31 licenses have been issued!

However, Swedish gaming regulatory body called Lotteriinspekionen, soon to be renamed to Spelinspektionen, announced that they will not be issuing temporary online licenses to the brands which fail to secure their regular market license.

The licensing window got opened in the beginning of August and the total number of applicants is 70. The other operators that haven’t had their licenses approved by now are hoping…

…that the regulator is going to finish its job by the end of the year so that they can start working properly from day one.

This is also something the regulatory body in Sweden hopes to accomplish. However, they have already said that their staff is working under severe pressure to get the job done by the end of December. It is not certain whether or not Lotteriinspektionen will meet the deadline…

Definite “NO”

According to the regulator, some companies have sent them inquiries wanting to know whether they will be able to work with temporary licenses and join the market with the other companies after New Year’s Eve.

However, there will be no “grace period” for any operator and they can only join the online gambling market when they get their new licenses secured. Otherwise, they will not be able to offer games to the Swedish public.

Balancing Out

So far, the Swedish government has criticized the local media outlets…

…for promoting internationally licensed online gambling operators because such a move marginalized the providers from the domestic country.

However, with the introduction of the new licenses and the regulation of the online gambling market, the playing field has been leveled out and both domestic and international operators will have the opportunity to present their content to the players.

Football Lawsuit

The new licensing regime in Sweden is having effects on country’s football as well. Earlier in the month, the Swedish football’s governing body filed a legal challenge of the new sports betting licenses. The organization wants to make sure that prop bets on non-match events…

…such as the number of yellow cards in a game or corner kicks should not be permitted.

Furthermore, the football regulator wants to prevent players from betting on teams who are playing on a local level in the lower-tier divisions.

The Biggest Licensees

Out of 31 licensed companies, there are a lot of familiar names. Many suppliers are excited about entering the Swedish online market because they see a great potential here. One of these suppliers is MRG, which has received two gambling licenses.

And while MRG prepares for 2019 to commence, it is also fair to mention that Kindred Group was among the first ones who had the privilege of receiving a gaming license. They have gone through an extensive application process, just like the other brands, but at the end of the day, they got the approval to offer its products in Sweden.

Source:

“Sweden gambling regulator says no ‘temporary’ online licenses”, Steven Stradbrooke, calvinayre.com, December 19, 2018.