Swedish gaming authority Spelinspektionen is launching a nationwide awareness campaign that it hopes will heighten knowledge of the group and the country’s legislation of gaming.

The campaign is the authority’s first since the re-regulation of the gaming market and the change of name from the Lottery Inspectorate at the beginning of the year.

Spread widely across the country for two weeks in late December and early January, it is to be prominently displayed outdoors as well as across print and digital channels. 

The campaign budget is SEK 2.5m, a fraction below £200,000, which the authority stresses is “relatively little compared to the gaming companies’ advertising investments”. The campaign runs during the interim days as the price is significantly lower than usual.

“By telling us that the Spelinspektionen exists, what we do and above all why, we hope to make the market safer for everyone who plays,” explained Anders Sims, communications manager at the Spelinspektionen.

This announcement comes as the first part of a long-term effort to increase awareness of the Spelinspektionen’s mission and to counteract gambling problems, as well as serving as an example to customers as to which operator are licensed are trusted entities.

Commenting that “licensing requirements are high and consumer protection is extra important,” players must be able to set their own limitations, both financial and temporal, and gaming companies must not be misleading or intrusive in their communication. They must also link to the Spelpaus self-exclusion service, which currently sees more than 46,000 suspended.

Sims added: “The license is a security stamp. It is the Spelinspektionen that issues the licenses and is responsible for calling the companies that are licensed to ensure that they live up to the Swedish regulations. We want those who play to know what applies, so that they can choose companies with a Swedish license.”