BOS, the Trade Association for Online Gambling in Sweden, has strongly opposed a proposal calling for a complete ban on bonuses in the country’s online gambling sector. The suggestion came from Sweden’s gambling monopolies, Svenska Spel and ATG, which recently published a joint opinion article supporting the idea. BOS argues that such a ban would not help protect players and would instead strengthen the monopolies while pushing more people toward unlicensed and unsafe betting sites.

Monopolies Support Bonus Ban Over Gambling Harm Concerns

In their opinion article, Anna Johnson from Svenska Spel and Hasse Lord Skarplöth from ATG said bonuses can contribute to gambling problems, especially for younger people. They referred to a report showing that gambling among boys in their second year of high school increased from 27 percent to 43 percent in five years. They believe bonuses make gambling more attractive and can lead to long term harm.

BOS Secretary General Gustaf Hoffstedt agreed that underage gambling is a real concern, but he disagreed that adult bonuses are to blame. He said many young people are exposed to gambling like features through skins and loot boxes in video games, which he thinks have a bigger influence. Hoffstedt said banning bonuses for adults would not fix the problem.

BOS Claims Monopolies Aim to Protect Their Own Market Share

Hoffstedt said the bonus ban would mainly help Svenska Spel and ATG because it would make competition harder for smaller licensed operators. He explained that the companies already have big customer bases from their time as state monopolies when the market changed in 2019. Newer operators often have to use bonuses to attract players. Without bonuses, he said, the older monopoly companies would find it easier to keep their strong position.

He criticised Svenska Spel and ATG for acting in their own interest instead of supporting solutions that would help the entire regulated market. According to him, more restrictions on legal operators will only shrink the licensed sector and harm consumer protection in Sweden.

Fears That Bonus Ban Could Push Players to the Black Market

Hoffstedt also warned that banning bonuses could push Swedish players to unlicensed gambling sites. These sites often offer attractive bonuses but do not follow safety rules or responsible gambling standards. He said regulations need to balance player protection with a good gaming experience, because people must want to stay in the legal market for it to work.

Sweden is already reviewing its gambling laws to crack down on illegal operators. A report from investigator Marcus Isgren suggested changes to close loopholes that let unlicensed platforms reach Swedish players. But Hoffstedt said these updates will not solve the deeper issues and that a bonus ban would only make things worse by driving even more players to unsafe websites.