Self-exclusion programme for gamblers in Sweden records 80,000 registations

Sweden’s national iGaming regulator, Spelinkspektionen, on Thursday revealed that the country’s self-exclusion programme, called Spelpaus, has surpassed 80,000 registrations.

First launched three years ago, the programme allows consumers who for whichever reason wish to limit their gambling to exclude themselves from operators that hold a licence in the country. Once registered on the programme, consumers must serve their full exclusion period before being able to gamble again on Swedish operators’ services.

In March of this year, Spelpaus rolled out an update to the website, to offer more user friendly services and easier guidance and information to players interested in registering.

According to the  MGA Annual Report 2021 out of all the players that requested self-exclusion, “the majority of players, 59.2 per cent, opted for a one-year exclusion, while 40.8 per cent applied for a six-month exclusion”. None of the players requested to exclude themselves indefinitely.

In Malta, The Responsible Gaming Foundation advises operators to include links that provide players with easy access to self-exclusion tools. Players are advised to check features for self-controlling limit restrictions on the online casinos of their choice.