Sweden’s gambling watchdog, Spelinspektionen, has hurried up to appoint a new acting Director General following the confirmation that the incumbent, Camilla Rosenberg, will be stepping down at the end of October, to be succeeded by Johan Röhr, who will step up on November 1.
Rosenberg takes her leave, Röhr takes the reins
Rosenberg’s departure comes after years of work at the core of the regulator, helping spearhead best practices and regulatory frameworks that have helped strengthen consumer protections.
While many of the challenges today remain thorny, Rosenberg has been instrumental in establishing a transparent and consumer-focused reporting, which has brought to light the persisting issues the regulated Swedish gambling market faces, such as, but not limited to, channelization.
Röhris no chance pick, as he is currently heading the watchdog’s legal department, and is uniquely positioned to help the regulator through its next chapter of enforcement-heavy solutions.
The appointment was welcomed by the regulator, including Claes Norgren, who works as Chairman of the Board, and who said that Röhrwas a fitting person to take the hot seat and help steer the watchdog over the next months.
"Operations will continue as planned and at an undiminished pace while waiting for a new director general to be appointed," and while Norgren didn’t confirm it, there is a good chance that Röhrmay fill the vacancy permanently."
He will have to top Rosenberg’s achievements, which have focused on ensuring compliance on the part of stakeholders in the market and licensed entities.
Bad actors are a major challenge for whoever takes the hot seat in the end
Rosenberg was instrumental in the delivery of the supplier-focused licensing requirements, which expect from B2B providers not to have their software, services, and products featured with offshore gambling websites targeting Swedish players.
The first challenge Röhr may have to face is the newly-launched consultation on self-exclusion rules, with Spelinspektionen seeking to strengthen player protections and bolster the Spelpause.se self-exclusion program.
This comes at a time when bad actors are specifically targeting vulnerable consumers by using terms such as "casinos not on Spelpaus" to directly market to people who are already experiencing some level of problem with gambling.
However, Spelinspektionen is determined to continue strengthening the domestic market and place new demands on operators related to consumer protection while also trying to figure out how it can make the local casinos more attractive to stem the tide of unlicensed operators.
