Sweden’s gaming authority, the Spelinspektionen, has taken enforcement action against another offshore gaming company, indicative of the continuing adjustments the country is making years after re-regulating its market.

Altacore NV, a Curaçao-based company which operates the wino.casino platform among other websites, has been banned from operating in Sweden – although the fact that the company has been willing to target Sweden without an operating licence suggests it may not be overly concerned with complying with a ban either.

A more effective measure may be if the Spelinspektionen directly blocks the win.casino domain name in Sweden, a measure it has employed against offshore gaming companies in the past, though it has not clarified whether it has done so in this instance.

“The Swedish Gambling Authority prioritizes measures that contribute to gambling taking place at operators that have a Swedish gaming licence,” a Spelinspektionen statement read.

The fact that Altacore is a casino company also speaks volumes, with the Swedish government having noted that the online casino vertical is the biggest weak point in its battle to maintain control over channelisation.

Since re-regulating its gaming market in 2019, ending the Svenska Spel monopoly and ushering in a new multi-licence market, Sweden has had a running battle channelling consumers from offshore firms to licensed ones.

The government is targeting a channelisation rate of 90%. Overall, gambling channelisation stands at 85-87%, slightly below target but generally performing well, while online betting channelisation is a big success story at 92%-to-96%.

Online casino is a different story, lagging behind at 72–82%. When one looks back at most of the banning and blocking orders issued by the Spelinspektionen over the past few years, the vast majority have been towards offshore online casino firms.

Advocates of looser regulations may argue that over-regulation is a contributing factor here, with Sweden having introduced strict limits on stakes and bonuses, which although loosened in 2021 may have made offshore firms more alluring to Swedes.

Speaking on the iGaming Daily podcast earlier this week, Martyn Elliot, SBC’s Media Director, summarised this viewpoint.

“Every time we talk about governments getting involved in changing gambling regulations, we always talk about how they’re going to make it tighter, there’s going to be a clamp down. It’s always the language.

“Surely the lessons of Sweden and Germany, and to an extent the Netherlands, is that if your regulation is too tight, too restrictive, it’s also counterproductive.”

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