Swedish regulator locks horns with press
Media organisation to fight Swedish Gaming Board guidelines on gambling advertising
The director general of the Swedish Gaming Board (Lotteriinspektionen) has attacked Per HultengÃ¥rd, CEO of Swedish media organisation Tidningsutgivarna, for “factual errors” with regards to claims made about gambling advertising law.
HÃ¥kan Hallstedt explained that foreign broadcasters are not subject to restrictions on advertising from offshore egaming operators, questioning HultengÃ¥rd’s claims in an op-ed piece for newspaper Svenska Dagbladet that ignoring such advertising while imposing fines on newspapers was “hypocritical”.
“The massive advertising from gambling companies which are not licensed in Sweden has reached such dimensions that I actually think most Swedes perceive it as legitimate,” Hallstedt said in a statement.
“Television broadcasting is regulated in the country from which broadcasted [so] different rules…apply to certain TV companies and the Swedish press.”
Lotteriinspektionen has informed Expressen and Aftonbladet Рtwo newspapers to carry gambling advertising Рthat it is considering hitting the publications with further fines. However Hulteng̴rd, whose organisation counts these titles among its members, says the industry is responsible enough for the restrictions to be liberalised.
“Swedish newspaper companies are well aware of the problems that exist around gambling,” HultengÃ¥rd said. “It is therefore important to find a system where anyone who wants to take a serious responsibility given the opportunity to participate.”
Swedish advertising regulation has prohibited the promotion of participation in an “unauthorized lottery” since 1939, and Hallstedt said this is designed “to protect Swedish actors to face competition from companies that are not licensed in Sweden”.
HultengÃ¥rd argued the removing of advertising restrictions is “an important part” of helping the financial situation of the Swedish daily newspaper press.
“Swedish newspapers operate under constitutions with the responsible publisher and journalistic ethics [and] that means we take responsibility also for the design of [gambling] advertising,” he said.