SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Sweden’s state run gaming operator Svenska Spel has taken a bold step by preventing all forms of player bonus offerings on its igaming verticals. Svenska Spel are looking to curve problem gambling in Sweden, the operator believes that promotion of igaming bonus and game incentives are ‘socially irresponsible’ for the Swedish gaming market.
The operator has taken the decision to ban all bonus led player incentives. By taking this action Svenska Spel, are the first state owned gaming operator to restrict player igaming bonuses, an industry standard mechanism for player engagement and acquisition.
Svenska Spel CEO Lennart Käll, commented on his company stance: “We see a clear trend in the gaming market where bonuses and discounts are becoming more common and where game companies are fighting to have the most attractive deals,” Käll said. “The risk is that it is driving increased gambling, which ultimately may include an increase in problem gambling.”
The removal of the bonus offers and discounts from Svenska Spel’s site may make the service less enticing for prospective new users. Despite that, it is unlikely the company will be struggling as a result of their new measures.
Overall profits for Svenska Spel in the first half of the year increased by 4.2 per cent to $388.9 million. It is unlikely that those sorts of profits would drastically decrease over the operator’s decision to remove discounts and bonuses from its site.
Lotteries and sports form a major part of Svenska’s Spel’s business, so poker may not take a big hit or any hit at all as a result of the latest measures. However, it may make it harder for the operator’s poker service to gain any major ground in attracting new players to register.
