In several news media, figures from the Gaming Inspectorate have been presented these days which are said to show a large increase in the number of Swedes playing online casino. However, there is reason to believe that the figures are misleading. Martin Johansson, an analyst and responsible for external analysis at Svenska Spel, here figures out the various figures as illustrated.

In news media, it has emerged that the number of logins and registrations on online games has increased by 33 percent over the past two weeks. Can it really be true?

- Hardly. Unfortunately, the 33 percent figure is based on a number of misunderstandings. It does not give an accurate picture of how many people have registered and it has nothing to do with actual online games. Nor do we see this kind of increase in our own figures. However, information from other countries indicates an increase in online gaming as people spend more time at home as a result of coronary restrictions, but are not understood at sports games where there are hardly any items to play on.

- Nor is it automatically negative that people spend some time at home with a little play instead of going to the cinema and or to the pub. However, it is extremely serious if the unhealthy game is increasing and that is why we are of course following the customers and gambling extra closely now.

The Gaming Inspection's figures are based on 17 out of a total of about 100 companies with a Swedish license. Can any major conclusions be drawn from these figures?

- No absolutely not. These are 17 smaller, purely online casino companies and thus it is not a representative selection. The main problem, however, is that, as I mentioned earlier, the data does not say anything about actual gaming or gives a reliable picture of the number of registrations / log-ins even with these companies.

Does online gambling automatically pose a greater risk of problem gambling than "physical" gambling? Does this apply to all types of games?

- Not automatically, but it means increased demands on the game designer to take on their own responsibility, as availability and, above all, speed are crucial to the game's risk level. The potential increase in risk is entirely dependent on the type of game offered online. For example, Lotto and Eurojackpot online are not associated with any significant risk, since online versions are basically identical to their physical counterparts and draws still only happen once or twice a week.

Kajsa Nylander, sustainability manager at Svenska Spel, presents in a blog post fresh analyzes of Svenska Spel's customers' gaming behavior . “We see a marginally increased interest in the forms of poker, Bingo and Casino. But even though the games are attracting new players, we do not currently see a higher average consumption of these games. Average spending per customer for Poker, Bingo and Casino is at the same levels as before the corona eruption . ", She writes among other things.

https://om.svenskaspel.se/koncernnyheter/missvisande-statistik-kring-svenskarnas-spelande-pa-onlinecasino/