LeoVegas has launched a public awareness campaign in Sweden, aimed at encouraging players to choose licensed operators.
With many Swedish-licensed iGaming operators still fuming at what they see as the counter-productive restrictions introduced in response to the COVID-19 crisis, LeoVegas is hitting back with a new public awareness campaign.
Fronted by Swedish ice hockey veteran Tommy Söderström, the new campaign has been launched to defend embattled operators in the country, and urge consumers to be more conscious of their choices.
Despite the Swedish government stating that it wanted to eliminate the online gambling black market when it regulated back at the start of 2019, it is estimated that 25% of money gambled online by Swedes is with unlicensed offshore operators.
If this, and the Swedish regulator’s zero tolerance attitude towards policing regulated operators, wasn’t bad enough, government-industry relations have hit a new low after the Riksdag (parliament) approved draconian new emergency measures to further restrict player deposits and wagering from 1 June in response to the COVID-19 crisis.
Licensed operators fear the new measures will leave them completely unable to compete with unlicensed offshore operators who aren’t constrained and can offer much more attractive products.
AYO.NEWS says:
LeoVegas must be applauded for taking the initiative and fighting back, but will it really make any difference to the bottom line? Are online casino players really that motivated by loyalty to an industry that is widely seen as extremely cynical and exploitative? We shall have to wait and see.
As for engaging with the Swedish government, it must be obvious now that as long as politicians like Ardalan Shekarabi, who are obviously ideologically opposed to all forms of gambling, wield the power, things will only get worse for the industry.
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