BOS Study Shows Swedes’ Misconceptions about the Gambling Industry

Sweden’s iGaming trade association, BOS, has published a new study on public views and misconceptions about the country’s gambling sector. Conducted by the research firm Novus, the survey analyzed Swedes’ attitudes toward and ideas about the industry.

The survey, commissioned by BOS, saw Novus question 1054 participants online, inquiring about their perceptions of Swedish gambling. The firm reported that 57% of these people described themselves as active gamblers, while 41% insisted that they never gamble.

BOS also learned that 1% of respondents gambled daily or almost daily, 15% gambled at least once a week and 15% gambled at least once a month.

When asked about gambling advertising, 72% of the survey participants said that they think gambling advertising has increased since the re-regulation of the Swedish market in 2019. However, some 58% wrongly assume that the gambling industry is the biggest advertiser in the country.

Speaking of advertising, 32% of Swedes do not like seeing gambling sponsorships in professional sports. Furthermore, 73% are opposed to gambling advertisements that feature celebrities.

The Misconceptions Prompt Calls for Tougher Regulation

In addition to the misconceptions the Swedish public has about the industry’s ad share, it also believes that approximately 23% of the entire population of Sweden has gambling problems. In fact, data shows that the people suffering from addiction and those at risk are roughly 4% of all Swedes.

In addition, players assume the return to player rate is much lower than it actually is. While Swedish companies offer RTP of roughly 95%, consumers believe that companies return only 21% of bets.

BOS believes that these misconceptions are very serious and show that the public is not properly informed about how the sector functions. Gustaf Hoffstedt, BOS’ secretary general, said that it is the trade body’s job to inform the public about how things really are.

Hoffstedt also pointed out that these misconceptions are a part of the reason why so many people believe that the Swedish market is in need of tougher regulations. According to him, it is also in the industry’s interest to better inform people about the actual problem gambling rates in the country.