Last fall, revealed DN that the Social Democrats’ lottery combined a telemarketing company in Barcelona that has used aggressive sales methods against the elderly. After that, party secretary Tobias Baudin (S) announced that the party would no longer hire external telemarketing companies for telephone sales of the party roots.
“As of today, we will not hire such external players ever in the future,” Tobias Baudin (S) told TV4 News on September 13 last year.
Continued to hire telemarketing companies
Despite the message, TV4 was later able to reveal that the Social Democrats continued to sell tickets to other organizations through external companies. Through Nordic Lottery AB, the Social Democrats run lotteries for several non -profit organizations, some of which paused telephone sales after the criticism, while the Breast Cancer Association’s and the Prostate Cancer Association’s “date lottery” continued.
“Telemarketing in the Date Lottery is carried out from Sweden and what we know, telephone sales for our lottery have not failed in its implementation,” wrote the Secretary General of the Breast Cancer Association Marit Jenset and the Prostate Cancer Association’s Olov Berggren in a joint statement to TV4 News last fall.
The surplus from the date lottery goes in full to the cancer associations and between 2019 and 2023, it was part of, to SEK 37.35 million. During the same time period, the Social Democrats’ company invoiced the lottery 41.23 million for operations.
Is criticized by the Consumer Agency and the Gaming Inspectorate
The Consumer Agency has previously criticized combination games for violations of the Marketing Act. Now the Gaming Inspectorate also states that both the Social Democrats and the Cancer Association have failed in their responsibility to ensure that the lottery operations are conducted controlled and securely. The authority sees signs that the requirements set in the Gaming Act have been broken.
Social Democrats party secretary Tobias Baudin declines interview through his press secretary, but the party’s press service writes in a written comment on TV4 News that:
“The Consumer Agency has completed its matters concerning a combination game, and has chosen not to take any action. Now the Gaming Inspectorate has requested that the Social Democrats submit an opinion by April 8, and we will do that”.
The Breast Cancer Association and the Prostate Cancer Association also decline interviews, but write in an email to TV4 News that work is underway with “review of the lottery operation and the conversations for us with involved parties.”