The Swedish gambling regulator, the Spelinspektionen, has come under fire for various shortcomings revealed in an inspection by the national auditor, Sweden’s National Audit Office, the Riksrevisionen. The audit was conducted to assess the effectiveness of the regulator in the first five years of legal and regulated gambling in Sweden after the new gambling act was passed in 2019.
The findings of the audit pointed out several areas where the Spelinspektionen was found to be lacking. One of the major issues highlighted was the mismanagement of resources and inefficient time management priorities. The regulator was criticized for prioritizing license application reviews and government assignments over other important tasks. Hedvig Tängdén, the project leader on the audit, emphasized the importance of using supervisory resources where they would be most beneficial and called for a systematic risk analysis to be the basis of supervisory planning.
Another significant shortcoming identified was the lack of follow-up with operators who had been subject to regulatory supervision. The audit revealed that the regulator had only followed up on cases once since 2019, raising concerns about the enforcement of its decisions.
In response to the audit, the Director General of Spelinspektionen, Camilla Rosenberg, acknowledged the need for improvement and stated that ongoing change work is being carried out. The audit’s recommendations for improvement included incorporating long-term plans into supervision actions, adopting a risk management-based approach to resource allocation, and providing regular reports to the Riksdag, Sweden’s main decision-making body.
Funding has been a persistent issue for the regulator, with a budget increase of SEK 2.4m ($227,764) allocated last year to help address the issues. Rosenberg expressed optimism that the increased budget funds for 2024 will enable the regulator to further develop its operations and resolve pending issues in court.
Overall, the audit highlighted the need for the Spelinspektionen to improve its resource management, follow-up procedures, and overall effectiveness in carrying out its regulatory duties. Despite the criticisms, the regulator remains committed to addressing the shortcomings identified and working towards better oversight of the gambling industry in Sweden.