The Swedish government has named Johan Röhr, the current chief legal officer of the Swedish Gambling Authority (SGA), as acting director general of the regulator.
His interim mandate begins on 1 November and will remain in effect until a permanent successor is appointed.
Röhr has worked as Spelinspektionen’s legal counsel since 2008 and previously held several judicial positions, including a post at the Stockholm Court of Appeal.
He replaces Camilla Rosenberg, who will step down on 31 October after serving as director general since 2017. Rosenberg will take up a new role as director and head of the Swedish Real Estate Agents’ Inspection Authority.
During her leadership, Rosenberg guided the authority through significant regulatory reforms, introducing licensing frameworks and enforcement measures against unlicensed operators.
The leadership handover comes as the SGA is running a consultation on planned regulatory changes, a process Röhr will now supervise on an interim basis.
Among the proposed measures is a rule requiring operators to adopt more advanced credentials, such as Actor IDs and API keys, when registering players. The objective is to enhance checks against Spelpaus, Sweden’s self-exclusion register, and strengthen consumer protection.
The regulator admitted that the reforms would bring extra compliance expenses for licensed operators but stressed that the measures are pragmatic rather than overly restrictive. The goal is to strengthen protections for vulnerable players and enhance the reliability of the national self-exclusion system.
At the same time, Spelinspektionen has intensified its crackdown on unlicensed operators. Two Curaçao-based companies, Ryker and Bitx Operations, were recently banned from targeting Sweden after their Jackbit and Playbet brands were found to be accessible to Swedish players and offering services in the local language without approval.
These enforcement moves coincide with growing concerns about channelisation. The regulator revealed last week that 85% of gambling activity in 2024 took place via licensed operators, still below the 90% benchmark it had set. The shortfall is particularly notable in the online casino segment, where channelisation is estimated at only 72-82%. Industry bodies argue that unlicensed sites undermine the regulated market and heighten player risks.
These challenges highlight the importance of Spelinspektionen providing greater clarity and structure to Sweden’s gambling framework. With Röhr now serving as acting director general, the authority is expected to keep tightening oversight while addressing the pressures of unlicensed competition and shifting market demands.
