The Council on Legislation has issued its opinion on the draft law.

On a general level, the Council on Legislation questions that the proposed act will create the flexibility or clear and predictable gambling regulation that the Swedish government wishes to achieve.

Moreover, the Council on Legislation directs criticism against the fact that the proposed act is focused on forms of gambling that have been developed in a monopoly market. In the Council of Legislations view, the focus on current forms of gambling creates uncertainty as to how other forms of gambling should be treated under the new gambling regime.

Aside from these general comments, the majority of comments made by the Council of Legislation concerns minor revisions of the wording in the proposed act. Thus, it appears that the official time plan is still within reach.

Pursuant to the official time plan, the following dates could be noted:

• May 2018: Swedish Parliament is expected to approve the proposed act;
• May 2018: The Swedish Gaming Authority is scheduled to hold an information meeting regarding the application procedure;
• 1 July 2018: The license application procedure is scheduled to open;
• 1 January 2019: The new Swedish Gambling Act is proposed to enter into effect.