While there is a global shift towards making gambling legal, a fair share of attention is also given to making the gaming or betting environment as friendly and fair as possible.
Although gambling could be a profitable activity, it is proven to become addictive if not played responsibly. So, the gaming regulators are actively forming policies and schemes to ensure that the players are not affected by these games, mentally and financially. Along the line, Spelpaus, a scheme for responsible gambling introduced in Sweden, is set to receive an upgrade.
Spelinspektionen, the gaming regulator of Sweden, announced earlier that the Spelpaus scheme would get an upgrade. This is the country’s self-exclusion service provided for gamblers who want to take a break from gambling. As human behaviors can be inconsistent, this service will make sure that the player stays from the gambling platform for the given period. The plan was intended to bring a solution to gambling addiction and related harms.
Spelpaus was introduced in January 2019 by Spelinspektionen when the market for licensed gambling opened. No doubt that gambling has a huge market and the potential to add significantly to the economy. However, one cannot deny the possible harms of betting and gambling on the players. So, the Spelpaus scheme was introduced as a part of the government’s intention to promote responsible gambling within the country. The service was met with huge success in Sweden, and more than 73,000 users have signed up for the program so far, as per stats from Spelinspektionen.
This self-exclusion service will get a new update that will address some of the concerns raised against it by gambling communities from across the country. Moreover, the new update will try to make the interface more user-friendly and user-defined to suit specific issues faced by the players. It is also expected to help people to receive guidance and assistance regarding gambling harm with more ease than how it was previously. The update will now allow players to extend their suspension period for gambling.
Nevertheless, some people still find some inadequacies in the services and assistance offered to users by Spelpaus. In a blog post shared earlier this month, Hasse Lord Skarplöth, CEO of ATG Swedish Horse Racing, claimed that Spelpaus was not enough to protect players from all the potential gambling harms. The reason for such a strong statement owes much to the fact that there is no provision against black-market gambling in the scheme.
