The Swedish Supreme Court has granted the editors of two popular tabloid newspapers the right to appeal criminal prosecutions for accepting advertisements from foreign gambling companies. Wednesday’s decision obliges the Court of Appeal to assess the compatibility of Swedish gambling legislation with EC law in light of recent European Commission action and last year’s Placanica verdict.

Sweden’s Svenska Spel has threatened to launch a civil action against UK bookmaker Ladbrokes over an advertising campaign the state-owned operator alleges to be in violation of the Svenska Spel trademark. Public prosecutions for gambling advertising may currently be on hold amidst ongoing legal uncertainty in Swedish courts, but Svenska Spel’s threat suggests that private operators may face continued difficulty as they look to exploit their new-found freedom.

Sweden is currently considering reforms to its gambling legislation, including more stringent advertising restrictions and blocking measures. Sweden's gambling regulation will again come under scrutiny in January when two high profile advertising prosecution referral cases will be heard in the ECJ.

The former and current editors-in-chief of the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet have written to the European Commission urging it to accelerate its overdue infringement procedures against Sweden over sports betting. The letter could open an important new front in the battle over private sector betting in the Nordic region.

An official study of Swedish gambling legislation has recommended the introduction of a licensing system that would divide gambling offers on the basis of their risk to players, and proposes that Svenska Spel be allowed to maintain its monopoly over land-based casinos, lotteries and online poker. But with the changes not scheduled to take effect for a further two years, observers question whether the proposals will be enough to placate the European Commission in Brussels.

Ministerial rhetoric on reshaping gambling monopoly Svenska Spel into a more socially responsible operator has evidently not been communicated to Brussels, as time runs out for Sweden to answer EU concerns. The appointment of a new chairman for the operator, widely regarded as unsuitable for the role, has also raised questions about government indecision.

With Sweden’s monopolistic gambling laws under pressure from juridical bodies at both a national and European level, speculation is mounting that the Government could be preparing less restrictive gaming legislation that will licence international operators.

The European Commission confirmed yesterday that it has sent Reasoned Opinions to both France and Sweden to formally request that both countries amend their laws covering sports betting services. As expected, infringement proceedings have also been opened against Greece.

Minister of Justice Hirsch Ballin has postponed a scheduled Senate vote on a bill to grant a temporary, exclusive licence to Holland Casino to offer online casino gaming, amidst concern that the proposal was set to be rejected by Dutch Senators. The move comes less than a week after the European Commission chose to extend infringement proceedings against Sweden to include Svenska Spel’s online poker monopoly.

Svenska Spel, Sweden's state-owned gambling company, has been accused of deliberately placing gaming machines in areas with major social problems and low average incomes.