Some of Sweden’s online gambling licensees have seen their revenue fall nearly one-third since the government imposed tough new limits on online casino deposits and bonuses.

Last Friday, Swedish media outlet News 55 reported on tax filings that show many locally licensed online gambling operators suffered sales declines of up to 30% in the period spanning June to August.

July 2 marked the formal implementation of Sweden’s new SEK5k (US$537) weekly deposit limit for online casino players, and the SEK100k cap on online casino bonus offers. The new rules were intended to limit the potential for gambling-related harm by Swedes stuck at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite the actual data failing to support the need for such drastic measures.

Among the companies reporting significant drops are the Comeon Group, which saw its Swedish sales fall from SEK118m in June to just SEK83m in August, a drop of 29.6% (although that decline was aided by the company’s decision to shut two of its major brands to Swedish customers in May).