Ola Wiklund criticize Swedish government policy
Ardalan Shekarabi risks lowering the entire licensing system.
Under the false pretence of protecting players during the coronavirus pandemic, the Swedish government has proposed temporary legislation that’s designed to strengthen the market position of the state-controlled operators Svenska Spel and ATG and weaken the position of online casino operators. I mean that the proposal is a devastating blow to the licensed casino operators.
The proposal is on the fences legally and is likely to contaminate the licensing system as a whole and create legitimacy problems for the entire regulated market in Sweden.
Apart from having the hallmarks of a measure of an autocratic banana republic, the proposal shamelessly advances the commercial interests of the political branch itself. It also violates Swedish and EU competition law. The unsubstantiated and flawed justification of the proposal also violates the freedom to provide services, according to Article 56 of the EU-treaty. The regulation is also likely to stumble on the notification requirement imposed by EU Law.
The debate article is published in EGR 27 May 2020 and in Dagens Industri 18 June 2020.
