Cooperation between Sweden and the UK

The gambling authorities from Sweden and Great Britain are collecting a cooperation to promote cooperation for the regulation of the gambling sector. The Swedish gambling authority (Spelinpections) and the British United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC) have published details on the “Memorandum of Understanding” (MOU) agreement. The agreement came into force on November 11th.

Memorandum of Understanding

From now on, the two institutions, which are responsible for the legal processing of games of chance in their respective countries, will work together to exchange proven procedures (best practice) in relevant areas. These primarily refer to regulatory guidelines and processes.

As part of the agreement, the two regulatory authorities will Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) revise from time to time. The should be Effectiveness of the agreement evaluated and, if necessary, changes be proposed to improve. The agreement will cover several fields. In this way, it generally includes the promotion of a common understanding of laws.

For this purpose, the authorities will work together on political and regulatory issues as well as enable mutual support during the daily business. This should lead to a uniform and targeted solution, especially in the case of currently occurring questions – for example How to deal with online gambling providers. In addition, measures are discussed on the following areas:

• Combating money laundering
• Combating terrorism financing
• Dealing with sports betting
• Dealing with other games of chance
• Dealing with transaction data

More knowledge leads to better regulation

For this project the Information flow between the UKGC and the spel inspection improved. In the future, the authorities share all relevant information that can affect gambling providers on the Internet. This also includes all requirements and regulatory measures that could have a significant impact on online casino operators and providers of sports betting.

At the end of October, the British gambling authority had already amended the license conditions and behavioral skills (License Conditions and Codes of Practice, LCCP), To strengthen consumer rights. This improved the standards for alternative dispute settlement procedures (ADR) and the interaction with consumers. Information about such processes and their effects can help the spel inspections to better regulate gambling in Sweden.

But of course Great Britain also benefits, there in Sweden a new gambling law on January 1, 2019 in force has kicked. This creates the framework conditions for an open and regulated market that enables online providers from casino games and sports betting access to the players from Sweden. The license as well as tax and regulatory questions were clarified here. Sweden is obviously one step ahead of Great Britain and other European countries.

“We have excellent relationships with other regulatory authorities from all over the world and our connection to the Swedish gaming authority will offer more opportunities to exchange proven procedures in a whole range of regulatory issues, to work closely together and to take common measures if necessary.”– Neil McArthur, Chief Executive, UKGC

Long -term cooperation with Malta, Gibraltar and Great Britain

Sweden’s authorities have them Need for international cooperation has been recognized for a long time for better regulation of the gaming market on the Internet. A similar agreement with the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) was already created in March of this year. This is also about the participation of the authorities when determining political goals and common values.

With Gibraltar, Sweden has another important partner on board. the Cooperation of the spel inspections with the Gibraltar Gambling Division was decided in May 2019 and also ensures an exchange of information and experience. So Sweden has three of the most important partners won in the area of online gambling.

Gibraltar and Malta are among the countries in Europe in which Most providers of online gambling are based. This could also have a positive effect for consumers in other European countries if regulatory measures that work in Sweden are also implemented by the MGA or the Gibraltar Gambling Division.

Cooperation with the authorities from Great Britain is no less important. Gambling has a long tradition on the island and Great Britain is the country in Europe in which The greatest sales with sports betting and online casinos achieve becomes. This is shown by the report on the Key Figures 2018 from EGBA (European Gaming & Betting Association). Knowledge and experience can therefore lead to a productive exchange. In the absence of concrete requirements of the EU, such cooperation is required to effectively regulate the gaming market on the Internet and to optimally protect consumers.

“This is an important agreement for us. We have common interests in many areas. By opening the communication channels between the authorities, we become stronger in our supervisory work. That is the beginning of a broad and long -term cooperation. ”– Neil McArthur, Chief Executive, UKGC