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Swedish government report suggests foreign operators should be able apply for licenses. Meanwhile, in the Southern Hemisphere, Australia decides on the fate of online poker on May 9th.
The Swedish government is open to break up the monopoly of the state-owned Svenska Spel. As of now, they are the only company that is licensed to run online gambling services in the Nordic country. Their current permit is set to expire in 2019 and that is when the new laws are plannned to go into effect.
The new government report came to the conclusion that allowing foreign companies to apply for licenses would be optimal, since then companies operating with offshore licenses could be better regulated.
Kindred Group, the owner of Unibet welcomed the findings, and their Head of Public Affairs called for quick action, saying: "For re-regulation to be successful there is no room for major changes in the investigator's proposal. Delays will endanger the whole reform". Unibet is one of the gambling sites who are able to take users from Sweden as it is now.
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In Australia, we reported on the Senate rejecting an amendment to exclude poker from the new online restrictions. The bill got back to the House of Representatives, and now we know the date when the vote is likely to take place. In about 5 weeks, on May 9th, the Aussie congressmen will decide the fate of online poker, and the odds are not in the cardplayers' favor.