Hero debuts Swedish intros as Svenska Spel calls for lottery betting ban

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Swedish gambling operator Hero Gaming has unveiled a duo of new brands, as the firm strives to deepen its footprint within the gaming industry.

Rolling out details of its news flagship online casino brand Boom Gaming, in a media release Hero stresses that next year’s launch would encapsulate video slots, Vegas slots, fruit machine slots and roulette with games from distributors such as Red Tiger and NetEnt set to be a part of the new brand.

Furthermore, it was also said that the operator is to introduce a no-registration brand Speedy Lotto which also includes online casino and live casino. Meanwhile, a new lottery betting offer from its no-registration brand Speedy has also been detailed.

This follows Hero stepping up its efforts in corporate social responsibility, after unveiling a new foundation that marks “the beginning of an exciting journey” earlier this year.

The Hero Gaming Foundation places social accountability and responsibility at the core of the its business strategy, as well as ensuring the firm contributes “towards a greater good” on a global scale.

The latest announcement of Speedy Lotto by the organisation follows Patrik Hofbauer, the president and chief executive of Svenska Spel, calling for a ban on the lottery betting industry within the country and deeming the business model  “incomprehensible”.

Before going on to state: “One species that I hope the investigation is looking at is the phenomenon of “shadow play”. This means that a betting company offers betting – but on other betting companies’ products! These can be games like American Powerball, German Keno or Finnish Lotto.

“It is incomprehensible that this may continue. I can’t think of any other industry where it’s okay to use competing companies’ products as drawbacks for their own business. The shadow gaming companies cannibalize on well-known lotteries without owning the brands themselves that they market and sell.

“At the same time, it is very doubtful if customers understand what kind of game they are participating in. You should be a game technology expert to understand what “betting on outcome in lotteries” means.

“The Swedish Gaming Act clearly states that the lottery market should be reserved for public benefit and the state. In practice, the shadow gaming companies put this out of play. They are licensed for betting, but use this to cash in on lottery revenue.

“That was hardly the purpose of the new gaming team. This loophole competition removes important lottery revenue from public utility – and it is a development that can accelerate quickly.

“In Denmark, which introduced a licensing system for gaming as early as 2012, the risk was seen early. Danish betting licenses therefore do not allow betting on lotteries. Of course, this should also be the case in Sweden.”