Spelinspektionen Audit – Revision for the Revisor
January 4, 2024 Tony ChristopherThe Spelinspektionen audit allows the Swedish government to review the regulator’s work and effectiveness. The close monitoring of the Swedish Gambling Authority is held in secret, but the results will be announced to the public. Read on to learn why the government revision of Spelinspektionen is necessary.
In this blog post, you can find the reasons behind the Swedish Gambling Authority audit. The table below holds the main sections of the article, so read line by line or jump to the one you wish to read first. Don’t skip the answers to the most frequently asked questions on the matter located at the end.
What is the Spelinspektionen’s Revision We Hear About?
One of the hottest news in the iGaming world in August 2023 is the Swedish Spelinspektionen audit by the government. The information that Sweden’s National Audit Office intends to review the effectiveness and work of the gambling regulator came as a surprise.
At first glance, revising the effectiveness might seem like a repercussion of a noticed violation. Actually, such an audit aims to prove that Spelinspektionen is doing a great job while supervising the top casino sites in Sweden and the gaming market. This way, the latest regulatory changes and licensing procedures question is well adapted to the licensed gambling world.
Why the Government Revision of Spelinspektionen is Necessary?
Online gambling in Sweden was legalized in 2002, and the licensed operators have been closely monitored. The Swedish online gambling regulation has changed during the last years, and one of the last changes happened in 2023 with the regulation of the suppliers’ licenses. Throughout all those years, the regulatory organ worked perfectly, but even so, a government revision of Spelinspektionen is needed because:
- Following the Gambling Laws: It must be clear if they are properly followed by all involved parties – regulators, operators, and players.
- Safe Gambling Market: A revision of the revisor proves that the Swedish government takes online gambling seriously and is ready to tackle issues even on the highest levels.
- Licensing Procedure: All flaws and misses must be found and apprehended ASAP.
- Enhanced Powers & Responsibilities: Spelinsketionen’s list of responsibilities grows with every operator and new law, so the regulator’s work must be revised to assess the speed and accuracy of the processes.
- Responsible Gambling: Inspecting responsible gambling tools and alliances with non-government organizations is essential for thriving legal gambling.
- Legal vs Illegal Sites: The channelization of players towards illegal gambling sites is a main issue for the Swedish Gambling Authority. Gamblers are drawn by the gambling bonus amount in Sweden and number of games, so the regulator must think of a way to make licensed operators more attractive.
- Charity & Good Causes: Operators promise to help charities, and the regulator must check if they keep their promise.
- Gambling-Related Crimes: Money laundering, bribes, cheating, and other gambling crimes threaten national security, so they must be investigated in collaboration with the highest authorities.
- Daily Work: The day-to-day tasks like work schedules and paperwork must be revised, and the results must be considered when work process improvements are offered.
Considering all of the above, we can say that the Swedish Gambling Authority audit is a thorough revision of the regulator’s work. Every government and private organization has a similar standard procedure. The result of the check is usually used to remove the flaws, improve all aspects of the work processes, and minimize the chance of issues in future.
How the Government Will Perform the Swedish Gambling Authority Audit?
Since the news broke out, it has been known that the Sweden’s National Audit Office will conduct the audit. The commitment, effectiveness, and work results will be examined according to international auditing standards and methods.
Fullwidth 2-column table
| Work Evaluation | Inspection and analysis of the SGA’s work, data, documents, and statistics. |
|---|---|
| Tools | Auditing and specialized computer programs. |
| Assistance | International auditing authorities, other regulators, operators, and more. |
| Employees | Interviews and individual work evaluation. |
It is not clear when the Spelinspektionen’s revision will be because it is not planned or announced. From what we know, it might be running already and kept secret for a more objective overview of the results. What is clear is that the Spelinspektionen is under a microscope because the Swedish government announced the audi t.
Who Will Be Affected by the Spelinspektionen Audit?
We are yet to learn the result of the Swedish Spelinspektionen audit, but it will certainly impact the future development of the online gambling industry in Sweden and Spelinspektionen’s work. There are a few stakeholders that will be directly affected by the results:
- Swedish Gambling Laws: the first Swedish casino licenses issued for suppliers prove Spelinspektionen’s wise decision to legalize every aspect of iGaming. The audit results can confirm and add information to the statistics of the legal gambling environment. Combined, all this may lead to additional rules and expansion of the gambling laws to cover all misses and failures in the current legislation.
- Spelinspektionen Employees: the Swedish lawyers rank Spelinspektionen in the top 50 workplaces, and the rest of the employees also approve of the work environment. The audit can be used to modernize the equipment and the work methods for faster and better results.
- Operators & Suppliers: A Spelinspektionen audit can summarise the Swedish gambling industry’s progress during the last years. The revision can indirectly help the improvements of the top Swedish online casinos with updates on the licenses, safety measures, and overall improvement of the gambling industry.
- Players: The general public, especially the players, can only benefit from such revisions. The audit proves that even the regulators are being monitored, increasing trust in their work. During the revision, players can keep enjoying the games at their preferred gambling websites.
We are yet to see the results of the regulator’s revision. Clearly, the Spelinspektionen’s commitment to transparency will remain and even become stronger than before. Once the information gathered during the audit is announced, we will know what measures will be taken by the Swedish government and gambling regulators.
FAQ
There are many questions about the Spelinspektionen audit, but we selected and answered the essential inquiries. Below is information on the main topics relating to this government-held revision. If you need more information, follow the links in the answers.
*️⃣ What does the Spelinspektionen audit mean?
We know that there will be a government revision of the Spelinspektionen's work, but it was not announced when it will be or what the Spelinspektionen audit is. The information that internationally approved revision methods will be used hints that there will be an evaluation of the regulator's work processes, tools, employees, and everything else.
*️⃣ Why the Swedish Gambling Authority audit is necessary?
The news of the Swedish Gambling Authority audit caught many players and stakeholders in the iGaming industry by surprise and created the question why the government performs a revision. There are many speculations on the matter, but the most plausible explanation is that every gambling-related organization must be audited regularly, and the evaluation must be used to improve its work.
*️⃣ What the Spelinspektionen audit will include?
It was announced that the government revision of Spelinspektionen will be performed according to the highest international revisions standards. However, the exact procedure of how the audit will be done is not known. This is believed to be a safety measure to protect the methods' objectivity and avoid tampering with the process.
*️⃣ Who will perform the Swedish Gambling Authority audit?
The question of who will perform the audit is important, considering the regulator is part of the government but has independence. The answer is that the Spelinspektionen's revision will be performed by the Swedish National Audit Office - the government authority that performs revisions of all government and private institutions.
*️⃣ What will the Spelinspektionen audit include?
The Swedish government will be performing Spelinspektionen audit for the first time, so the public is unfamiliar with the procedure. It is known that the Swedish Gambling Authority audit tasks follow the processes used by international auditors and other countries' regulatory organs. The full report will be announced once the audit is over.
