Svenska Spel violated Swedish advertising law. The British Columbia Lottery Corporation is reviewing its self-exclusion program. Meanwhile, Spelinspektionen is changing the rules for protecting players. Europe generates the lion’s share of suspicious bets. And a recent report revealed how actively fans visited illegal betting sites during the World Cup.
Svenska Spel failed to comply with Swedish advertising laws
A Swedish gambling company called Svenska Spel violated the country’s advertising laws when it showed its gambling products on TV4, according to a report from Branschföreningen för Onlinespel (BOS).
The report states that Svenska Spel's promotional material for its gambling products violated Swedish gambling laws. The company did not disclose that it was not regulated by the Swedish Gambling Authority. The company also did not make it clear that it would not pay out winnings to customers.
Svenska Spel belongs to the media group Bonnier, which also owns TV4 and several other major media outlets in Sweden. After the incident with the broadcast of illegal advertising, the channel will receive a substantial fine.
BCLC reformed its self-exclusion program
According to a statement from the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC), the regulator recently reviewed the Voluntary Exclusion (VSE) program. The organization believes that new changes in the program will make it much more approachable.
The updates include allowing people to self-exclude from multiple gaming facilities, rather than just one at a time; allowing people to self-exclude for a period of up to five years; and changing the name of the VSE scheme from "Voluntary Self-Exclusion" to "Self-Exclusion".
The changes were made to help reduce the stigma around gambling addiction by making VSE more accessible. Besides, the updated program would give more options for seeking help to people already struggling with their addiction.
Swedish regulator reviews its Duty of Care standards
Gambling operators that offer their products and services on the Swedish market will be forced to comply with the updated Duty of Care rules when interacting with customers. The supervisory authority has warned all licensees to prepare a specific plan to meet the new requirements.
The regulator said companies will need to monitor parameters such as:
- The number of games;
- Canceled withdrawals;
- Increased deposit limits that addicted players can determine.
On top of that, Spelinspektionen stated that even its updated guide will not be able to factor in all aspects, and operators will also have to analyze the behavior of gamblers based on their own standards.
When local gambling companies join forces with the regulatory authorities, they will be able to create even more favorable conditions for the development of the legal industry in the country.
Europe leads in the number of suspicious bets
The 2022 report shared recently by the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) showed that Europe is the global epicenter of suspicious betting activity. According to the information provided, sports governing bodies received 268 warnings in the past year. Compared to the statistics for 2019 and 2020, this number has increased by 14%.
These warnings covered 61 countries and 14 popular sports. And as it turned out, Europe was responsible for 126 suspicious activities, almost 50% of all cases considered.
Asia received 51 alerts and was the second most significant source of suspicious bets. And Africa came third on that list with 25 warnings.
World Cup boosted visits to unlicensed betting sites
According to a report from Yield Sec, the number of consumers that visited unlicensed betting sites during World Cup 2022 has tripled.
The company says that the report was based on data from its global network of servers and found that visits to illegal betting sites increased from 4 million in 2018 to 11 million in 2022. The study also found that the average time spent on these sites increased by 30% during the World Cup.
The increase in visits to unlicensed betting platforms is a concern for FIFA, which was trying to crack down on unauthorized gambling during the event. The organization has issued warnings about the dangers of visiting these sites and has threatened legal action against those who do so.
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