Swedish gambling advertisements don’t go down too well in Sweden. But that hasn’t stopped one entrepreneurial company from experimenting and pushing the envelope. With licenced gambling operators taking a financial hit in the second quarter of this year, the need to revive the industry in Sweden is more pressing than ever.
Government restrictions in the country have limited the industry’s ability to spark a revival, with official figures showing that locally licenced gambling was down 1.2% in the first quarter of 2020[1].
That wasn’t going to stop Swedish gambling company LeoVegas, however. The online licensee has been on a one-man mission to spread the word far and wide, despite the obvious limitations that are currently being placed on their backs. The company has already voiced concerns over the strictness of the Spelinspektionen (the Swedish regulator) regime of late.
In a country famed for its intolerance of gambling advertising, LeoVegas have already pushed their luck on numerous occasions. But that isn’t stopping the licensee from taking things to a whole new level. Sweden’s best online casino sites can be found by visiting Casino.Zone’s Swedish casino review page.
On the contrary, the industry-wide slump appears only to have spurred them on to do bigger and more audacious stunts to get the public gambling again. They recently launched an ad campaign where 10 large furniture trucks patrolled the streets of Stockholm, with the phrase “A delivery from LeoVegas” emblazoned on the side.
The campaign provides the cities adults with an opportunity to win a Rolex watch, but only if they see one of the trucks and share the picture on social media with the correct hashtag attachment.
The publicity stunt is certainly a big slap in the face of the regulators, who technically may not be able to stop the move, as it doesn’t directly reference gambling. Previously, fellow Swedish gambling company Ninja Casino ran into regulatory trouble after imploring customers to “Play Now!” via way of billboards.
LeoVegas meanwhile, aren’t explicitly calling for people to place bets, and in that sense, they may just about be able to avoid the wrath of the Swedish gambling watchdog.
LeoVegas are one of several Swedish gambling sites that have taken a hit over the past few months. Many of the country’s top online casino sites were caught out by government action this spring, where tougher limits on customer deposits and spending were ushered in with a little warning.
The claim by Sweden’s ruling party was that it was a measure taken to protect customers from excessive swedish gambling in times when citizens were likely to be stuck indoors. However, despite the governmental warnings, data shows no correlation between people being indoors more and a higher frequency of bets being placed.
It isn’t just online casinos that are taking a hit. The state-run Svenska Spel’s national lottery and slots halls revenue dramatically fell by 8.5% in Q2. This was further compounded by the financial hit to land-based casinos, which have been closed for an extended period in 2020.
The only sector to avoid a financial hit of late have been charitable lotteries, whose business has rose by 2.7% in Q2 compared to Q1. Increased support for charitable causes is hardly surprising in the current climate, but this particular area aside, it hasn’t been an especially fruitful period for the gambling industry in Scandinavia.
As for LeoVegas, they seemingly show no signs of relenting anytime soon. Their Rolex competition is yet to be outlawed by regulators, which must be viewed by the entire industry as a win amidst all of the negative forecasts. Companies are having to get creative, with LeoVegas paving a path for others to follow – if they dare to possibly incur the wrath of the dreaded regulators.
By External content contributor
Related
- You can read more about entartaining on NewsVoice