Swedish state-run gambling operator Svenska Spel has announced the introduction of compulsory customer cards for all forms of gaming, apart from the purchase of physical lottery tickets and gaming inside Casino Cosmopol casinos.
The operator said the card will serve as a tool in the prevention of problem gambling, making it easier for gamblers to keep track of their gaming as both information and activities can be tailored to an individual’s gambling behaviour.
Svenska Spel also said that the card would make it difficult for those that want to exploit its operations for the purposes of fraud and money laundering.
In addition, Svenska Spel customers do not risk losing their winnings if they lose their game receipt as the customer card monitors winnings from all games, which are then paid out after 90 days if the customers have not collected them.
The customer card is already mandatory for the operator’s gaming website, mobile gaming and in the retail environment, under certain conditions. The card has also been used voluntarily for Svenska Spel’s Vegas machines and other initiatives.
“We are convinced that a mandatory customer card is an important part of a more consistent and clear approach to responsible gaming, and that it will lead to the development of a healthy and secure gaming market,” Svenska Spel’s chief executive officer, Lennart Käll, said.
“The use of our customer card enables us to provide an extended service to the customer, with new features such as information about their gambling history, setting limits with regard to time and money, and suspension from all gaming products and platforms at the Svenska Spel.
“It also allows us to be more proactive in customer relations and enables us to initiate dialogue with those customers who perhaps gamble too much.”
The introduction of the compulsory customer card comes shortly after the operator announced it was to remove all bonuses and discounts from its games.
Svenska Spel said that both moves form part of a new approach to responsible gambling.
