Svenska Spel must work to minimise the negative social consequences of gaming operations. This endeavour is assigned high priority in all operational decisions and leads to specific measures to develop a stronger sense of responsible gaming.
Svenska Spel’s social responsibility is to provide gaming in a responsible and secure manner and minimise the negative consequences of the company’s operations and products. Svenska Spel’s mandate includes:
Svenska Spel’s responsible gaming policy describes the guidelines for responsible gaming. The policy states how the company shall meet the above requirements. Svenska Spel’s aim is for its responsible gaming efforts to serve as a role model for leading the progression toward a healthy gaming market.
Responsibility is also highlighted in Svenska Spel’s corporate values, the internal guide that underlines the value of accessible, considerate and committed employees.
Svenska Spel shall conduct itself as a responsible company. This requires Svenska Spel to be responsible in its marketing and when designing games and to be able to offer customers tools to prevent gambling problems – while also ensuring that gaming with Svenska Spel is an entertaining and enjoyable experience.
All customers should feel that it is secure and safe and that they are offered the means to maintain control of their gaming.
Svenska Spel must apply the precautionary principle in the development of new games and in the composition of its overall gaming offering. The principle entails, for example, that Svenska Spel does not develop games that are considered risky unless such games are already available and in demand in the market.
Svenska Spel is the only gaming company in Sweden to use the GAM-GaRD tool, which was developed by researchers. The tool is compulsory in the product development process. It is used to identify risk components in a game and to classify and document each product. Games with higher risk are altered or provided with enhanced consumer protection and/or preventive responsible gaming tools. See the illustration here.
Svenska Spel has its own marketing guidelines, but also follows the guidelines from SPER (Ethical Council of the Gaming Industry) and the standard set by European Lotteries. Svenska Spel’s guidelines stipulate that marketing must be responsible in focus and designed to minimise the risk of excessive gaming. Nor shall it be perceived as too assertive, misleading or include false information about the odds of winning. Svenska Spel’s gaming permit specifies age limits and restrictions in terms of the marketing of the various games.
Svenska Spel continuously trains employees, retailers and business partners in responsible gaming. All new retailers undergo responsible gaming training that includes information on the risks of gaming, where players can turn for help and the importance of age verification.
Svenska Spel offers a special responsible gaming training course geared toward the company’s managers. The aim is to provide the managers with in-depth knowledge of responsible gaming and the means to conduct their operations in a responsible manner based on the company’s mandate.
Svenska Spel also offers interactive training courses for all employees, which must be completed upon recruitment. The training course includes information about problem gaming, responsible marketing and product development.
Svenska Spel pursues responsible gaming actions that are focused on and adapted to the various sales channels, such as the dialogues that Casino Cosmopol employees have with certain guests, the specific requirements that online poker players must fulfil before they can begin playing, and the age-verification requirements among retailers and business partners.
Svenska Spel imposes an age limit of 18 for all games and lotteries, and of 20 for Casino Cosmopol. Players can sign voluntary agreements about bans from casinos and from games on svenskaspel.se. Read more about responsible gaming efforts in Svenska Spel’s result areas.
During the spring of 2012, Svenska Spel commissioned an independent study of Vegas aimed at identifying development areas to strengthen responsible gaming for Vegas and to minimise the risks of the game.
The investigator studied such matters as the gaming environment, permits, inspections, the illegal market, information and training initiatives and responsible gaming actions aimed at individual players. International studies on VLTs were also compiled.
The investigator presented the findings during the autumn. A project group has been appointed to prepare proposals and to evaluate when and in what order they should be implemented.
Svenska Spel seeks to discover and prevent unethical behaviour, both internally and externally. The company is explicit that its operations must not be used for money laundering or other criminal activities. The development of competitive products and distribution channels with integrated responsible gaming and gaming security is thus an important element of the business.
Svenska Spel’s mandate includes:
Any security incidents that occur are handled through the Help Line, and when necessary, they are brought to the attention of Group management. Joint reporting and case management systems enable follow-ups at the result area and Group level. After unusual betting patterns were noticed, Svenska Spel contacted and cooperated with the sports associations concerned on two occasions. Both incidents were reported to the police.
The risk of money laundering arises in contexts involving substantial cash flows, such as at casinos. Casinos in Sweden are regulated by the Swedish Act on Measures against Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing and supervised by the Swedish Gambling Authority.
Suspicious transactions are reported to the Financial Unit of the National Criminal Intelligence Service. The casinos’ procedures and training initiatives have been deemed effective and its ongoing cooperation with the Financial Unit of the National Criminal Intelligence Service and supervisory authorities works well.
In 2012, Casino Cosmopol reported 332 incidents (284) to the Financial Unit of the National Criminal Intelligence Service in accordance with the Swedish Act on Measures against Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing.
In 2012, a Compliance Officer with Group-wide responsibility for money laundering matters was recruited. During the year, Svenska Spel clarified that it would voluntarily take a risk-based approach to these matters even in the operational areas that are not directly subject to this legislation. An effort to formulate clear procedures and better tools to counteract money laundering was initiated in 2012.
Svenska Spel continuously reports illegal gaming machines, meaning gaming machines that do not belong to Svenska Spel. The reports are submitted to the appropriate authorities, primarily the Swedish Gambling Authority. Svenska Spel conducts regular inspections among retailers and business partners and revokes their permits if the illegal gaming machines are not removed. In 2012, five retailers (eight) were terminated due to having illegal gaming machines in their venues.
Svenska Spel shall counteract fraud and cooperates with the police, banks and card companies in matters relating to stolen or counterfeit credit cards at retailers, business partners and on the Internet. As a result of focused efforts and strengthened procedures concerning the management of fraud, card-based fraud is no longer deemed to constitute a major issue in the operation.
Customer security at retailers was enhanced with the introduction of identity verification for payouts over SEK 1,000. For winnings of SEK 20,000 or more, the retailer terminal is blocked and the winner must directly contact Svenska Spel before collecting the winnings. Information about the winning on the customer display is clear and the customer’s name is printed on the gaming ticket, which is to be handed in with the Spelkortet customer card. This ensures that the customer is informed about the winning and that the winnings are paid to the correct recipient.
In 2012, Svenska Spel initiated proactive inspection efforts focused on the retailers’ handling of games in their interactions with customers. The primary aim of the inspections is to improve customers’ security, but they are also meant to create internal knowledge about the extent to which retailers comply with the prevailing laws, agreements and instructions. The results from the checks will indicate areas for improvement and possible actions that need to be taken.
If there are indications that customers have been allowed to play on credit, the retailers are inspected. If evidence of gaming on credit is uncovered, the partnership with the retailer is immediately terminated. Contracts with two retailers (two) were terminated in 2012 as they had accepted gaming on credit.
The Spelkortet customer card is a key component of Svenska Spel’s brand and responsible gaming efforts. By using the Spelkortet customer card, Svenska Spel’s customers gain automatic monitoring of winnings and the Playscan™ tool to control their gaming. This gives Svenska Spel access to information about the effects of games, which is used in the development of games to reduce the risks. As more customers use the Spelkortet customer card, Svenska Spel improves its ability to advance its responsible gaming efforts.
