The Gaming Software licences are to be a requirement for any B2B business who continues its relationships with operators in Sweden. The new requirement – which was passed by the Swedish legislature in November – is intended to help throttle the development of the black market in Sweden by restricting the unlicensed operator sector’s access to providers.
The suppliers who have been issued licences by the regulator includes state-owned former monopoly Svenska Spel, Comeon brand Co-Gaming, Game Shop Limited and its Maltese subsidiary. Online and mobile gaming developer Push Gaming received licences for both its products and Malta subsidiary, as did Swedish slot developer Slotmill who received two licences.
Including subsidiaries, there are now 24 total suppliers who have been authorised enter into commercial agreements with operators in the Nordic country.
Spelinspektionen funding boost
The introduction of B2B licensing requirements are just part of a range of new measures brought in by the Swedish authorities to disrupt the illegal gaming sector. At the beginning of the month, the government announced that Spelinspektionen would be granted additional funding as part of a pledge to give the gambling regulator more powers to fight back against the sector.
“We welcome these extra funds which enable further strengthened measures in the fight against unlicensed gambling, money laundering and match-fixing,” said Spelinspektionen director general Camilla Rosenberg.
This move was supported by industry trade body the Online Gaming Industry Association (BOS), which stated its agreement with the policy to raise gaming fees to fund the proposal.
Gustaf Hoffstedt, BOS’ secretary-general, said: “We believe that the Gambling Authority is underfunded, at least in terms of maintaining an acceptable dialogue with the industry the authority is set to monitor.
“More precisely, this lack of dialogue does not apply to the Spelinspektionen’s dialogue with BOS – it now works well – but the lack concerns the difficulty for an individual licence holder to establish a functioning dialogue with the authority.”
Original article: https://igamingbusiness.com/legal-compliance/sweden-approves-eight-additional-b2b-licences/
