Economic responsibility

For Svenska Spel, economic responsibility means responsibility to ensure that commercial operations always integrate the company’s sense of responsibility. Svenska Spel seeks to be the player’s first choice.

Svenska Spel works towards giving customers a sustainable gaming experience. This involves offering games that customers demand, at the same time as the company specifically integrates responsible gaming into the business operations.

Company responsibility will be an increasingly important factor in the future when customers select the gaming company with which they wish to play. Consequently, responsible gaming is a key feature of Svenska Spel’s efforts to be the player’s first choice. Svenska Spel will continue to work on strengthening its brand by communicating its efforts throughout all business areas.

Svenska Spel is not compelled to maximise profit, thus offering the company good potential to focus its resources on responsible gaming and to promote a healthy gaming market. Proceeding on the basis of customer perspective and having an attractive gaming offering are prerequisites for working long-term on the Swedish gaming market

Strategies

During 2011, Svenska Spel will focus on and prioritise operations using a number of strategies. The strategy framework clarifies how business operations and social responsibility are integrated. Read more about Svenska Spel’s strategies.

The trend throughout the Swedish gaming market is that fewer people play, but spend larger amounts – a pattern that Svenska Spel wants to change. The company’s development is to be based on healthy gaming behaviour and a sound gaming market. This means that success is based on a broad player base – with more people playing for moderate amounts.

Gaming is largely a positive experience, but there are risks. Svenska Spel’s mandate from the owner is to conduct responsibility programmes to counteract the emergence of gambling addiction. The social sense of responsibility is another key feature to commercial success.

Economic risks and possibilities

Svenska Spel works proactively in assessing risks and possibilities that affect the conditions for competing and working long term in the Swedish gaming market. One challenge for Svenska

Spel is the increasing advertising expenditure by foreign-based Internet companies. Svenska Spel’s gaming advertising declined from 46 % in 2004 to 24 % in 2010. This occurred despite the promotion ban stipulating that foreign gaming companies are not allowed to advertise in the Swedish media. To be able to compete on the same terms, and offer new, fast games that players demand, Svenska Spel must receive new licences, a point that is currently being questioned at various levels.

Review of competition regulations

In 2010, after a report was filed, the Swedish Competition Authority initiated a review of whether Casino Cosmopol operates competition impeding operations. Following discussions with the Swedish Competition Authority, Svenska Spel has drafted an action plan to rectify the renewed competition issues. In January 2011, as a result of the actions that Svenska Spel shall implement, the Swedish Competition Authority decided to not further pursue the matter.

Research

Swedish Brain Foundation

Svenska Spel has collaborated with the Swedish Brain Foundation since autumn 2008. Over a period of five years, the company will pay out a total of SEK 25 million to finance the Brain Foundation’s basic research into dependency illnesses.

Research council

Svenska Spel has established a research council in an effort to increase insight into preventive programmes against gambling problems. The decision to do so was made in 2009, and during 2010 the council’s articles of association were formulated and its seven members selected. In addition to a representative from the Board of Svenska Spel, the council consists of representatives from the research world, the National institute of Public Health, and the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions. The objective is to contribute SEK 5 million annually to university-based research in the field.