The main rule of the Gambling Act is that a license is required for gambling for money. This applies to everything from betting to lotteries. The exception is private forms of gambling, for example when a family or close friends place a bet together and when the stakes are also low.
It is permissible if it takes place with a close relationship between the participants. Colleagues can also be considered private friends, says Spelinspektionen's press officer, My Hamrén.
Low amounts refer to symbolic sums, but no specific amount is stated in the gambling laws.
No scheduled inspection
The Swedish Gambling Authority has not received any license applications for games ahead of the World Cup, but it receives recurring questions about what is required to organize, for example, World Cup tips. The authority can be contacted if unauthorized games are discovered.
If we receive a tip, we contact the person or people who are the subject of it to explain that it is not allowed, says My Hamrén.
After that, an investigation may be necessary. At the same time, such an investigation could take a long time - and by then the World Cup may already be over.
Is there any risk that you will carry out supervision when friends or colleagues organize World Cup tips without a license?
If it happens in private settings, with close camaraderie between the participants and with low stakes, there is no risk. We do not have any planned supervision of World Cup tips, says My Hamrén.
"Common sense"
Do you have any of your own World Cup tips for Spelinspektionen?
"You mean, do we have any World Cup tips ourselves? I can honestly say that we don't," says My Hamrén, laughing.
If you are to follow what is stated in the preparatory work for the gambling law, the exception should really apply within the private sector. We are not a huge authority, but we are significantly larger than what is considered a private group.
According to the Swedish Gambling Authority, there are no guiding legal cases that have ruled on how large a group or stake can be. Hamrén believes that the important thing is to remember the purpose of the gambling law, which is to protect the consumer.
You have to have a little common sense and think about it.
The Gambling Act contains several exceptions to the main rule regarding the requirement for a license for gambling.
One of them is private forms of gambling with a close community between the participants. This requires that the game does not have an organized or professional character, that it is not conducted online, and that the stakes are low.
Low amounts may be “symbolic” contributions.
Source: The Swedish Gambling Authority
