This is how unlicensed gambling companies attract addicts

For a person with gambling addiction, the suspension service Spelpaus is rarely an obstacle to continued gambling. Despite tightening of the law, companies without a Swedish license find new ways to reach the most vulnerable.

– It is an eternal war, says Henrik Nygren, advisor at the Gambling Addiction Association.

After the reregulation of the gaming market in 2019, legislation has been gradually tightened to limit the unlicensed part of the market.

Since the turn of the year, it has been forbidden to promote illegal gambling by, for example, advertising for unlicensed gambling companies or offering payment solutions to sites without a Swedish license.

The Swedish Gambling Inspectorate has also been given greater powers to investigate and intervene on its own, but so far this has not happened. According to Marcus Aronsson, investigator at the Gambling Inspectorate, it is easier said than done.

– It is very difficult to access the information about who is behind these pages. New ones pop up all the time, he says.

Rounds the law

It does not take more than a simple search on the net to bring up countless pages in Swedish with tips and links to gambling sites without a license, which are not covered by the Spelinspektionen’s service Spelpaus. There the bonuses are bigger and the barriers are fewer.

As a way to get around the new legislation, the pages now do not link directly to the unlicensed gambling companies.

– It is a change we have seen. Before there were links to the game pages also on the Swedish pages, but this is no longer the case. By linking to a game page with English-language text, you are trying to evade the legislation, says Aronsson.

– It will be more difficult for us to say that they have marketed themselves in Swedish if they do not have their marketing on the Swedish pages but on the English page.

Many of the gambling companies have their license in Malta, Curaçao or in Estonia, but despite that, they target Sweden in particular, according to Aronsson.

Outwardly, they don’t have much advertising. Instead, you reach out via anonymous text messages, which are not covered by the blocking via Spelpaus, to many who already have a gambling problem.

– If you are going to toughen it up, it is a customer group that you would like to market yourself to.

Change contact details

Since Spelpaus was launched in 2019, over 93,000 people have chosen to shut themselves off from gambling.

According to Henrik Nygren, adviser at the Spelberoendes förening Stockholm, the service works for some. But for someone with a gambling addiction, it is hardly an obstacle.

– Those who apply to us have largely had it really bad in every way, says Henrik Nygren.

– Almost everyone who comes to us has tried Spelpaus and failed.

The association recommends members to change their email address and phone number to avoid direct mail from unlicensed companies. Members are also encouraged to download any of the paid services available in the form of software that blocks both licensed and unlicensed online gambling.

One step ahead

The betting companies, on the other hand, always try to stay one step ahead, claims Henrik Nygren.

– Sometimes we notice that a product that has worked for several years no longer does, so you have to look for another one. And so it goes on, it’s an eternal war.

Facts

Game break

Read moreFacts

Unlicensed gambling companies

Read more