Swedes abandon licensed online casinos in search of illegals
The study showed that At least a third of Swedish players have started registering on unlicensed platforms and spend more free time there. It seems that the country's authorities did not want to pay attention to the experience of states in which restrictions on legal online gambling led to catastrophic results. Otherwise, it is difficult to explain the actions of officials who, every year, increasingly restrict the rights of gambling gamers. This is happening due to the introduction of amendments and new restrictions that regulate the rules of online casinos.
The study was conducted by bookmaker company Bonus Guide. It was found that at least 30% users use search engines to find illegal virtual establishments. The main request left by gamers is – "unlicensed casino". In addition, other similar queries are entered into the search. This behavior of Swedish players is explained very simply: the online gambling industry was significantly weakened by new rules and restrictions that were adopted in 2019. In particular, this affected betting limits and marketing.
As a result, the draconian measures applied by the Swedish authorities partially pushed users out of the legal regulated market and pushed them into the arms of illegals. The study found that the share of visits to official clubs has decreased. The same period of the previous and current years was considered. According to preliminary estimates, the total share of visits to licensed virtual casinos today is no more than 70% compared to previous years.
As the managing director of the virtual casino stated Bounusfinder F. Costello, the authorities should not announce successes related to restrictions on online gambling. Such methods of combating gambling addiction lead to the opposite result, since visitors begin to look for unlicensed sites where no restrictions are provided. He also noted that the gambling market in Germany and some other countries is going down this wrong path.
