Exclusive Swedish polling conducted by Play’n GO today also reveals overwhelming general public support for the prohibition of Bonus Buy slot games.
28 February 2024 – Play’n GO, the world’s leading casino entertainment provider, has today revealed exclusive polling conducted in Sweden that shows overwhelming support for the prohibition of the controversial slot mechanic featured in ‘Bonus Buy’ games.
The results of a nationally representative survey in Sweden are stark:
Seven out of ten members of the general Swedish public (69%) support changing the regulation to ban ‘Bonus Buy’ games
Incredibly, more than half of Swedish slot players (55%) want the game type prohibited too
Among the respondents who want to see these controversial slot games banned, two-thirds of the public (66%), and more than half of slot players in Sweden (52%), believe ‘Bonus Buy’ games exploit vulnerable gamblers.
Further, nearly two-thirds of slot players themselves (63%) think that ‘Bonus Buy’ games result in higher losses for players.
So called ‘Bonus Buy’ games allow players to buy directly into the bonus or free spins round of a slot game, in many cases for hundreds of times more than their initial stake for a single spin.
The controversial game type is banned by some of the world’s leading regulators including KSA of the Netherlands and the UK Gambling Commission, who reiterated their stance in a reminder to all online casino operators back in January 2020 that stated ‘Gambling products must not actively encourage customers to increase their stake or increase the amount they have decided to gamble.’¹
The findings by Play’n GO also reveal today that Swedish slot players overwhelmingly think that:
changing the regulation to align with the UK and the Netherlands regarding ‘Bonus Buy’ games is the ‘responsible thing to do’ (61%)
a change in the regulation shows that ‘the Swedish government are taking gambling issues seriously (63%)
they would be proud if the gambling regulator prohibited ‘Bonus Buy’ games (53%)
In December, the Swedish gambling regulator Spelinspektionen reported that Spelpaus, the centralised national self-exclusion system, surpassed 100,000 registered users for the first time.²
Commenting on the overwhelming support in Sweden for the prohibition of ‘Bonus Buy’ slot games, Johan Törnqvist, CEO and Co-founder of Play’n GO, said: “Play’n GO has been a consistent and vocal advocate for a sustainable, regulated, and thriving gaming industry that is based around an ‘entertainment-first’ mindset for many years.
“I pledged as far back as 2021 that Play’n GO would never make a Bonus Buy game³ – a decision that has cost us hundreds of millions of Swedish Krona – but I stand by that decision. Bonus buy games are harmful to players, and to the long-term health and sustainability of the entire industry, and they should be excluded from the regulated Swedish market.”
Over half of the Swedish public (51%) described game suppliers who have decided not to make ‘Bonus Buy’ games as ‘responsible’, with more than a quarter choosing ‘ethical’ or ‘brave’.
The exclusive research was conducted among people in Sweden who reported that they played slots at least once per month.
--ENDS--
Notes to Editors:
Survey conducted by Opinium. Fieldwork February 2024, among a national representative sample of Swedish residents aged 18 or older.
Opinium is a member of the British Polling Council, an association of polling and research organisations that publish polls, and abides by its rules. These primarily relate to transparency for poll and survey results that enter the public domain which we are committed to publishing in response to requests.
The full study can be viewed here
About Play’n GO:
Founded in 2005, Play’n GO is the global leader in supplying entertainment to the casino industry and is the creator of some of the world’s most played online casino games including Book of Dead, Reactoonz and Moon Princess.
Play’n GO are pioneers in the industry and were one of the first to recognise the potential of gaming on the GO by designing casino games for mobile phones in the pre-smartphone era. Today, the company delivers an unmatched portfolio of 325 premium titles to regulated casino operators in more than 25 jurisdictions.
Play'n GO’s approach features an innate commitment to promoting a regulated gaming industry that is built around fun and entertainment. We do that through collaboration with our partners, regulators, and research bodies.
We know what operators and players want. And that’s the key to creating content that stands the test of time. Developing games that everyone will love. In addition to this, we also provide back-end services and solutions to ensure operators are equipped to provide the ultimate gaming experience.
An entertainment company that recently launched its own music division, Play’n GO is also a proud partner of the MoneyGram Haas F1 Team.
For more information, please visit www.playngo.com
Play’n GO Contacts
Darren Hughes Darren.hughes@playngo.com
Andrew Pink andrew.pink@playngo.com
