By scrapping parts of the monopoly, the centre-left government hopes to bring foreign-based online gambling companies such as Kindred Group and Betsson, which operate from outside Sweden and have taken a growing share of online betting, under its regulatory sway.
Not the entire state monopoly will not be scrapped. Its casinos and lotteries operations, for instance unchanged.
Net gambling revenues for the monopoly amounted to 17.1bil crowns (RM8.5bil) in 2016, a 2.4% rise from 2015, generating 6.4bil crowns (RM3.19bil) profit to state finances. Sales on non-regulated gambling in Sweden, such as Internet casinos, provided by companies abroad, rose by 16% to 5.1bil crowns (RM2.53bil) last year. The state as yet receives no revenue from those firms.