The dedication of Sweden’s leading gambling operators to responsible gambling protocols has been brought to light with the latest data submitted to the Swedish regulator, Spelinspektionen. This commitment, pledged by Kindred, Svenska Spel, and ATG, included a promise to unveil their responsible gambling initiatives starting in the autumn of 2022. These companies have stood by their pledge, regularly submitting critical data to the regulator semi-annually, thus enabling a transparent review of their efforts to combat risky gambling behaviors among Swedish customers.
The third dataset, covering the latter six months of the year ending December 31, 2023, offers an opportunity to scrutinize the operators’ performances in addressing problem gambling. It follows the initial reports for the second half of 2022 and the first half of 2023. The key metrics considered include the percentage of players contacted due to signs of risky gambling, the effectiveness of such contacts, and the extent to which problem gambling habits were reduced or ceased entirely.
Kindred, for instance, revealed that it had reached out to 0.5% of its Swedish customer base, a proactive measure to curb problem gambling. The operator noted substantial progress, with 78.2% of those contacted managing to reduce their gambling activities—an improvement from 75.1% in the first half of the year. Alongside this, Kindred reported that 78.6% of the contacted players lowered their average deposits within the six months in question. Self-exclusion was also an option exercised by customers, with 2.2% opting to self-exclude for under six months and a further 1.6% for a more extended period. Additionally, Kindred’s latest quarterly report highlighted a downward trend in harmful gambling revenue, which dropped to 3.1% from 3.3% in the preceding quarter.
ATG’s reach, on the other hand, covered 1.5% of its Swedish clientele, a slight decrease from 1.9% in the first half of the year. Nonetheless, the effectiveness of these interventions saw a marginal decrease, with only 56.4% of those contacted reducing their gambling habits, compared to 57.3% in the previous data collection period. Deposit reduction also recorded a decline among contacted players, with 59.9% opting to reduce deposit amounts – marking the lowest figure to date and a sequential downturn since the initial report. As for self-exclusion, numbers showed 1.5% of the contacted gambler cohort choosing to self-exclude for six months or more, with 2.3% selecting an even longer period away from gambling.
Svenska Spel, reflecting on its customer interactions, indicated it reached out to 1.9% of its Swedish customers, a cohort in which 74.8% reportedly diminished their gambling activities. This intervention led to 49.7% of the players lowering their average deposit gatherings. Notably, self-exclusion received higher attention among Svenska Spel’s affected users, with 9.4% opting for at least a six-month break and 3.7% deciding on a more extended exclusion.
The operator further detailed measures within two of its core business areas, Sports & Casino and Tur. In the Sports & Casino division, there were more customer interactions (4.9%), where a commendable 75.6% of the contacted players reduced their gambling and half reduced their deposit amounts. Contrastingly, in the Tur segment, a mere 0.4% of players were engaged about their gambling behaviors, but of those, an encouraging 70.5% cut back on gambling, and nearly half decreased their average deposits.
These commitments and statistics illustrate an ongoing process in the Swedish gambling sector as operators refine their interactions with customers to promote responsible gaming behaviors. Though the results across different metrics reveal varying degrees of success and challenge areas, the transparency and regularity of reporting suggest a constructive path towards safeguarding vulnerable gamblers in Sweden. The shared endeavor to create a safe and fair gambling environment continues to be at the forefront of these leading operators’ business operations.
