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LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

On the road to Denmark - Swedish gambling legislation in the light of the European Union

Westerling Andersson, Mikael LU (2012) JURM02 20122
Department of Law
Abstract (Swedish)
Spel och dobbel är något som har funnits i de flesta kulturer i århundraden och är ett ämne där åsikter och intressen går vida isär. Trots att stora delar av världen befinner sig i en finansiell kris, fortsätter spelmarknaden att växa. I takt med att den teknologiska utvecklingen ökar, ökar även tillgängligheten av spel. Den kraftiga tillväxten inom spelsektorn, ger upphov till frågan om hur en marknad som å ena sidan kan uppfattas som moraliskt förkastlig och förknippad med negativa sociala skadeverkningar, och å andra sidan genererar betydande intäkter, ska regleras.

Redan från ett tidigt skede har EU haft förhållningssättet att det är upp till varje medlemsstat att avgöra hur Spel och Dobbel ska regleras, vilket har lett till ett... (More)
Spel och dobbel är något som har funnits i de flesta kulturer i århundraden och är ett ämne där åsikter och intressen går vida isär. Trots att stora delar av världen befinner sig i en finansiell kris, fortsätter spelmarknaden att växa. I takt med att den teknologiska utvecklingen ökar, ökar även tillgängligheten av spel. Den kraftiga tillväxten inom spelsektorn, ger upphov till frågan om hur en marknad som å ena sidan kan uppfattas som moraliskt förkastlig och förknippad med negativa sociala skadeverkningar, och å andra sidan genererar betydande intäkter, ska regleras.

Redan från ett tidigt skede har EU haft förhållningssättet att det är upp till varje medlemsstat att avgöra hur Spel och Dobbel ska regleras, vilket har lett till ett ”lapptäcke” av olika lagstiftningar. De nationella lagstiftningarna måste följa de fundamentala principerna i EU-rätten, vilket har tagits upp i ett flertal rättsfall. ECJ har dock gett medlemsstaternas en bred möjlighet att göra en skönsmässig bedömning angående vad som är bäst för respektive land trots klara avvikelser från de fundamentala principerna inom EU.

Sverige har alltid haft en restriktiv hållning gentemot spel och dobbel, som har varit kontrollerat genom ett statligt monopol sedan 1200-talet. Det kan ifrågasättas huruvida den svenska restriktiva lagstiftningen är förenlig med EU-rätten. De svenska domstolarna har undvikit att inhämta förhandsavgöranden innan Sjöberg och Gerdinfallet, där ECJ ansåg den svenska lagstiftningen i stort vara förenlig med EU-rätten. När Högsta domstolen senare dömde i samma fall ansågs straffpåföljderna i lagstiftningen vara diskriminerande, vilket får anses skapa rättsosäkerhet. Riksrevisionen och den svenska regeringen har framfört kritik mot delar av den nuvarande lagstiftningen. De trängande frågorna är: 1) Hur skall en potentiell ny lagstiftning se ut? 2) Kan den danska licensmodellen ses som ett passande alternativ för lagstiftaren? (Less)
Abstract
Gambling is something that has existed in most cultures for centuries and it is a topic which is highly debated. Despite large parts of the world being in an economic crisis, the gambling sector continues to grow. With the aid of new technology the accessibility of gambling has increased immensely. This raises concern on how to regulate this delicate area, as gambling on the one hand is perceived as morally objectionable and socially harmful, yet on the other hand, gambling generates significant amounts of revenue.

The EU has from an early point taken the approach that it is up to each Member State to decide the appropriate measures regarding to gambling to pursue set objectives. This discretion has led to a patchwork of regulations on... (More)
Gambling is something that has existed in most cultures for centuries and it is a topic which is highly debated. Despite large parts of the world being in an economic crisis, the gambling sector continues to grow. With the aid of new technology the accessibility of gambling has increased immensely. This raises concern on how to regulate this delicate area, as gambling on the one hand is perceived as morally objectionable and socially harmful, yet on the other hand, gambling generates significant amounts of revenue.

The EU has from an early point taken the approach that it is up to each Member State to decide the appropriate measures regarding to gambling to pursue set objectives. This discretion has led to a patchwork of regulations on the matter of gambling and especially regarding online gambling. The regulations still have to adhere to fundamental principles of EU law, which has been brought up in case law, yet the ECJ has given Member States a broad discretion in how to regulate gambling despite clear breaches of fundamental principles.

Sweden has always had a restrictive stance towards gambling and has had a state controlled monopoly for gambling since the 13th century. Questions could be raised whether the Swedish restrictive legislation is coherent with EU law. Case law reveals that the Swedish Courts have refrained from requesting a preliminary ruling up to the Sjöberg and Gerdin case, where the ECJ considered the Swedish legislation to be coherent in principle. The recent judgment where the criminal sanctions were ruled to be discriminative by the Supreme Court, has caused legal uncertainty. Riksrevisionen and the Swedish Government also raised concerns with parts of the current legislation. The urgent questions are: 1) What will a potential new legislation look like? 2) Can the Danish license system prove to be a suitable alternative for the legislator? (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Westerling Andersson, Mikael LU
supervisor
organization
course
JURM02 20122
year
type
H3 - Professional qualifications (4 Years - )
subject
keywords
EU law, EU-rätt
language
English
id
3349897
date added to LUP
2013-02-11 12:17:13
date last changed
2013-02-11 12:17:13
@misc{3349897,
  abstract     = {{Gambling is something that has existed in most cultures for centuries and it is a topic which is highly debated. Despite large parts of the world being in an economic crisis, the gambling sector continues to grow. With the aid of new technology the accessibility of gambling has increased immensely. This raises concern on how to regulate this delicate area, as gambling on the one hand is perceived as morally objectionable and socially harmful, yet on the other hand, gambling generates significant amounts of revenue. 

The EU has from an early point taken the approach that it is up to each Member State to decide the appropriate measures regarding to gambling to pursue set objectives. This discretion has led to a patchwork of regulations on the matter of gambling and especially regarding online gambling. The regulations still have to adhere to fundamental principles of EU law, which has been brought up in case law, yet the ECJ has given Member States a broad discretion in how to regulate gambling despite clear breaches of fundamental principles. 

Sweden has always had a restrictive stance towards gambling and has had a state controlled monopoly for gambling since the 13th century. Questions could be raised whether the Swedish restrictive legislation is coherent with EU law. Case law reveals that the Swedish Courts have refrained from requesting a preliminary ruling up to the Sjöberg and Gerdin case, where the ECJ considered the Swedish legislation to be coherent in principle. The recent judgment where the criminal sanctions were ruled to be discriminative by the Supreme Court, has caused legal uncertainty. Riksrevisionen and the Swedish Government also raised concerns with parts of the current legislation. The urgent questions are: 1) What will a potential new legislation look like? 2) Can the Danish license system prove to be a suitable alternative for the legislator?}},
  author       = {{Westerling Andersson, Mikael}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{On the road to Denmark - Swedish gambling legislation in the light of the European Union}},
  year         = {{2012}},
}