Spelinspektionen, the Gambling Inspectorate of Sweden, has confirmed the appointment of Johan Röhr as Acting Director General.

The current Chief Legal Officer (CLO) of Spelinspektionen, Röhr will assume leadership of the Inspectorate from 1 November, replacing incumbent Director General Camilla Rosenberg.

Last week, Finansdepartementet — Sweden’s Ministry of Finance — announced that Rosenberg has been appointed to a new post overseeing a dedicated assignment in the Swedish housing sector, taking on the role of General Inspector of Real Estate Agents.

The announcement marks the end of Rosenberg’s seven-year tenure as Director General of Swedish gambling, during which she oversaw the adoption of the landmark Gambling Act 2018 (2018:1138) and the relaunch of Sweden’s re-regulated gambling market on 1 January 2019, opening it to licensed online gaming and sports betting operators.

Johan Röhr takes on the role of Acting Director General having served as the Inspectorate’s Chief Legal Officer since 2019. Prior to that, he worked as a legal advisor involved in the development of the Gambling Act itself.

Claes Norgren, Chairman of the Board at Spelinspektionen, endorsed Röhr’s appointment as a stable transition for the authority: “Johan has extensive experience in the business and will ensure continuity in management. Operations will continue as planned and at an unabated pace while waiting for a new Director General to be appointed.”

Attention now turns to the Riksdag and whether it will implement further changes to Sweden’s online gambling market.

By the end of 2025, independent advisor Marcus Isgren is expected to present proposed amendments to the Gambling Act to members of the Riksdag — likely to include measures to criminalise all forms of unlicensed gambling activity targeting national consumers.

Further pressure was added last week as Branschföreningen för Onlinespel (BOS), the Swedish Trade Association for Online Gambling, submitted a formal appeal to the Riksdag.

The association is demanding that the government initiate a review into regulatory liabilities that have prevented Sweden’s gambling market from achieving its channelisation target — the share of consumer revenue spent with licensed operators.

BOS has expressed deep concern over the persistent underperformance of the online casino vertical, which has consistently lagged with a channelisation rate of just 75–80% — well below the government’s benchmark of 90%. 

The trade body is calling on the government to explain why it has maintained restrictions on licensed online casinos that, in their view, have made unlicensed offerings more attractive to Swedish consumers.