Sweden to privatize online gambling to avoid EU confrontation?
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Sweden may try to privatize its online gambling operation to avoid problems with the European Union, according to recent reports.
Currently, Sweden is one of several member nations that does not allow a free market for online gaming, which puts it and other similar countries at odds with the EU.
According to a story at pokerpages.com:
Petter Nylander, chief executive of Unibet, has described news of a partial privatization of the Swedish government’s online poker Internet gaming monopoly, Svenska Spel, as a strategy by the Swedish government to avoid being sued in the European Court of Justice.
The European Commission has sent Sweden reasoned opinions asking for justification of their gaming monopoly and rejecting reasons they have responded with so far. Nylander said the pressure from the European authorities was starting to show.
There has also been pressure recently from within the country to end the state’s online gambling monopoly.
