Nordic gambling monopolies won’t last, say Swedish and Danish trade bodies

Sweden and Denmark’s gambling trade body chiefs Gustaf Hoffstedt (BOS) and Morten Ronde (Spillebranchen) expect the gambling monopoly model, seen in Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Norway, will be eradicated in the next few years and monopoly operators will be sold to the private sector.

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Both Hoffstedt and Ronde agree there is no place for a state gambling monopoly in the commercial gambling sector, as the government’s role causes major conflicts of interest.

“In Western society, the normal model is private companies run businesses, while governments and parliaments set and supervise the rules. But among the Nordic countries, the state is also quite an aggressive commercial operator,” says Hoffstedt.