EUROPEAN STATE LOTTERIES AND TOTO ASSOCIATION

Members’ News
Sweden
2008 has been a very turbulent year for
the lottery and gaming business in Sweden.
The foreign operators are marketing
themselves (illegally) more and more
aggressively – one of them has even
opened a retail shop in Stockholm City
without being stopped, a “maffioso” is
standing trial for operating illegal gaming
machines and murdering competitors,
the Government has declared that the
possibility of selling out parts of Svenska
Spel should be looked into, Svenska
Spel is frequently accused by the Gaming
Inspection for letting under-age adolescents
play the VLTs and the CEO and
two of its deputy managers suddenly left
the company in April when a new chair
had been appointed by Anders Borg, the
Minister of Finance, and it was evident
that he and the Svenska Spel top management
had different views on how to
run the state lottery.
- It was quite a surprise to me, when I
suddenly was asked to chair Svenska
Spel, says Margareta Winberg, former
top politician in Sweden and recently
ambassador to Brazil. I have very little
experience from the gaming business,
apart from inaugurating the Stockholm
Casino some years ago when I was deputy
prime minister and was asked to do
so by the then CEO Meg Tivéus. I suppose
the minister wanted me because
I am a quite well-known person and I
am not afraid of speaking my mind on
sensible issues.
The mission she got from Mr Borg was
quite clear – Svenska Spel must be much
Interview
with Margareta Winberg,
Chair Svenska Spel
more responsible in its marketing and
product development, maybe to calm
down the opposition from EU and the
danger of being forced to give up the
present restrictive gaming legislation.
- I did not know very much about Svenska
Spel and its CSR and gaming responsibility
strategy when I accepted
this position in April, she admits and
obviously Mr Borg had little clue of
what has been done and what is going
on at Svenska Spel. Now I have changed
my view – I am impressed of the committed
work for responsibility and
gaming awareness by all staff at Svenska
Spel and the retailer awareness.
Given the mission I received I have of
course focused on all matters concerning
CSR and how Svenska Spel can still
market the games it offers properly. It
is also obvious that the links between
the owner and the lottery must be improved.
I think that I will have the ear
of the minister more than the previous
chair and that matters will be better
from now on.
Some people were hesitant to the appointment
of Mrs Winberg as chair
– they were afraid that there would be
too much talk about responsibility which
could harm sales but it seems that this is
not the case. Maybe it has even been an
advantage to have such a public person
leading the organisation since media are
very keen on quoting her whenever she
speaks in public. And so she does very
often.
- Now, I always take the opportunity of
praising Svenska Spel and its CSR activities
– I realise that it has a top reputation
in the global lottery world for its
responsible program - and I hope that
this message gradually gets across to
politicians, journalists and the players,
she says with emphasis.
No other Swedish lottery chair person
has been so well-known as Margareta
Winberg, This also means that she gets
many calls e.g. from problem gamblers
so by now she is very much aware of the
adverse side of our business but this in-
21
P AN RAMA
formation she can use in her daily work
which takes up much more of her time
than she expected. An important task for
her is to find a new CEO.
- We are looking for a good leader who
is flexible and has a good insight into
politics, she says.
However, this could take some time,
there will be a state report on the lottery
business due Mid-December which
will indicate how the Government wants
to handle number games, sports betting,
charity lotteries, bingo halls, VLTs and casino
in the future. Some politicians would
favour that the Government only keeps
the “dangerous games” such as casinos
and gaming machines and opens up for
license system for the other products.
- The new CEO also has to settle in Visby.
I don’t see that as a problem, Margareta
Winberg says. The city is very
attractive, so is the job – and it is on
Gotland that we have our main office,
she concludes.
At the upcoming WLA congress in Rhodes
she will have the opportunity to meet other
people from the lottery world. – I am
looking forward to learn more about this
fascinating, different business, she says
on her way to open the 17 th Spelakademi
(Gaming Academy) in Visby, where she
among other speakers will listen to Jean
Jørgensen speaking on current legal cases
and French consultant Mr Marco Lopinto
about the new legislation in France.
Interview by Göran Wessberg
Senior Advisor to Svenska Spel