Ulf Kristersson, Sweden’s new Prime Minister has announced the remaining cabinet positions that will form the country’s new right-wing coalition government.
The leader of the Moderate Party, Kristersson will govern alongside members of the Swedish Democrats (SD), Liberal, and Christian Democrats (CD) parties – the coalition that won Sweden’s General Election on 11 October.
The Riksdag informed that Kristersson had appointed Niklas Wykman as Minister of Financial Markets, who in his remit will be charged with overseeing the government gambling policy and industry oversight.
A Moderate Party MP since 2014, Wykman will report to the new Swedish Treasury department led by Finance Minister Elisabeth Svantesson.
Wykman will oversee the final policy proceedings of Sweden’s “stage-2” reform of its gambling marketplace, a government requirement that preceded the relaunching of Sweden’s re-regulated online gambling marketplace in 2019.
Reforms have been put forward by Spelmarknadsutredningen (gambling market inquiry) calling for a specific licensing regime for software suppliers and online casino game developers.
Further recommendations urged the government to toughen advertising safeguards, in which it was recommended that Sweden apply a 06.00 to 21.00 block on the advertising of online casinos.
However, during the General Election campaign the Moderate Party manifesto outlined plans to review the position of gambling and lotteries monopoly Svenska Spel as a state-owned enterprise.
The Moderate Party has cited its preference to split Svensak Spel into two separate business entities for ‘monopoly gaming’ (lottery and keno) and ‘competitive gaming’ (gambling units and sports betting).
Further desired reforms include a demand that “constitutional safeguards be applied to Sweden’s Gambling Act”, that would require future governments to secure Riksdag approval to change gambling laws.
Branschföreningen för Onlinespel (BOS) – Sweden Online Gambling Trade Association – welcomed the appointment of Wykman as new gambling minister.
Gustaf Hoffstedt, Secretary General BOS, stated: “We look forward to having a discussion with Niklas Wykman about how gambling policy can best be developed in Sweden.”
“We will have three important messages in those discussions. Firstly, the licensed gambling companies must be protected at the expense of the unlicensed ones.
“Secondly, the state should concentrate on making laws that the rest of us must follow rather than acting as a commercial gambling company itself, and thirdly, it would be welcome if Wykman, as the first minister in any Swedish government, dares to highlight the gambling industry’s important business and political significance for Sweden and Europe.”
Source: SBC News
