The Swedish Trade Association for Online Gambling, or Branschföreningen för Onlinespel (BOS), has expressed optimism about the industry’s future with the forced resignation of Prime Minister Stefan Löfven.
BOS Secretary General Gustaf Hoffstedt said Löfven’s government including Minister of Social Protection Aradalan Shekarabi didn’t have the industry’s best interests at heart.
He said Shekrabi “made life miserable for the privately owned and international gambling industry” and offered “state-owned and/or state-governed gambling operators special treatment.”
He added, “Almost all political parties agreed on the agenda regarding gambling regulation five to 10 years ago. Nowadays the opposition often criticizes the minister for his action in areas related to gambling, claiming that he has abandoned the agenda that jointly was decided prior to the reregulation in 2019.”
If the government had not been forced to step down, Hoffstedt feared an omnibus gaming bill would have been introduced in the Riksdag before September 2022, when the general election is scheduled.
“It is however impossible for the government to propose such bill at the moment,” he cautioned. “Preparations may continue, but it is likely that the process is slowing down. This is positive.”
