The Swedish Government is set to commission a new report that addresses the rules governing the gambling industry. As published in Svenska Dagbladet, Finance Minister Anders Borg and Public Health minister Maria Larsson wrote that their main priority was to institute a ban on aggressive marketing by the gaming industry and compared gamblers to alcoholics.
Despite their stance, the state-owned Svenska Spel will retain the sole rights to handle potentially socially-hazardous gambling activities.
Moderate Party member Thomas Tobe, a proponent of deregulation, re-iterated his intention to have a majority in Parliament remove the state monopoly, stating “This proposal will do very little to appease the EU Commission and Sweden can expect a summons to the European Court of Justice and a subsequent conviction”.
The EU Commission has threatened legal action against Sweden for non-compliance of freedom of establishment, despite Seden’s assertion that the monopoly is necessary from a public health standpoint.
