The Swedish government is planning to bring in a new gambling act and gambling tax act.
Ardalan Shekara, minister for public administration, said: "The central government will regain control of the Swedish gambling market. We are now proposing legislation entailing that operators receiving a licence to conduct activities targeting Swedish consumers must comply with Swedish rules. This will also give us the tools to keep those without a licence out.”
The new gambling regulations will be designed as a licence system, in which all operators providing gambling services in the Swedish market must have a licence. Operators without a licence will not be allowed to provide gambling services. The act will apply to all gambling for money in Sweden, including online.
The proposal, referred to the Council on Legislation, also proposes tightening the penalties for unlawful gambling activities and promoting unlawful gambling. It also pushes for a new criminal classification, gambling fraud, be introduced to address match fixing.
The Swedish government is hoping the new proposals will come into effect on 1 January, 2019, and said that licence applications can be submitted from July 2018.
