October 2012
How to apply for an amusement games
licence
Application form
A separate application form is to be used and is available at
www.lotteriinspektionen.se. You can also order the form by e-mail, post or
telephone.
The licence application must be submitted by the person who runs the
business in the premises. If the applicant for a licence is represented by
somebody else in the application process, the application must include a
power of attorney.
Information to be submitted on the application
form
Type of gaming machine
The application must state the type of game for which the licence is being
sought, e.g.:
-
Pinball
Video game
Driving game
Shooting game
Sports game
Motorcycle game
Dance machine
Simulator
Computer games (computers programmed for games and connected
in a LAN environment or to the Internet)
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October 2012
Documents to be enclosed with the application
form
Your suitability
The Swedish Gambling Authority will obtain information from the Swedish
police force’s suspect and criminal records register. Information will also be
obtained from the Swedish Enforcement Authority in order to check your
current financial conditions.
To ensure that the Swedish Gambling Authority can examine whether you are
suitable to provide amusement games, you must attach the following
documents to your application:
An applicant who is a physical person/individual company
1. Certificate that no ban on trading activity is in place (issued by the Swedish
Companies Registration Office)
2. Bankruptcy-free certificate (issued by the Swedish Companies Registration
Office)
3. Latest tax assessment decision (obtainable from the Swedish Tax Agency)
NB! Documents under points 1 and 2 must not be more than six months old.
An applicant who is a legal entity
1. Registration certificate (issued by the Swedish Companies Registration
Office)
2. Statutes or Articles of Association
3. Directors’ report/annual accounts with profit and loss account and balance
sheet for the latest financial year, including audit report.
NB! The document under point 1 must not be more than six months old. If
the company is newly established, documents under point 3 do not need to be
included in the application.
Application fee
Once the Swedish Gambling Authority has received your application, it will
be given a case number, which you will be informed of by post. The letter will
also inform you that an application fee is to be paid together with the bank
giro number for making payment. It is important that you include the case
number when making payment. The application will only start to be processed
after the application fee has been cleared in the Swedish Gambling Authority's
bank giro account.
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The application fee is calculated on the total number of gaming machines that
games will be played on according to the application, assuming that the
application will be granted.
1-10 gaming machines, SEK 3,000
11-25 gaming machines, SEK 10,000
26 or more gaming machines, SEK 35,000
If investigating an application entails extraordinary costs, the applicant must
pay an additional fee equal to these costs.
Fees are not charged for an application relating to a changed postal address or
a reduction in the number of licensed machines. Remember that if you reduce
the number of machines and then wish to increase the number of machines,
you must pay a new application fee.
Checking fee
The Gaming Machine Regulation (2004:1062) states that a party receiving a
licence in accordance with the Act on arrangements for certain gaming
machines (1982:636) must pay a fee for the inspection and checks carried out
by the Swedish Gambling Authority. Checking fee invoices are sent to you
from the Swedish Gambling Authority. The checking fee is presently SEK
200 per game location per month.
Notification
As a rule, the Swedish Gambling Authority applies a ‘simplified notification’
procedure in application matters. This means that any documents that are to
be made available to you will be sent to you (the recipient) by unregistered
post and that on the subsequent business day, a verification message will be
sent informing you that the document has been sent to you (22 § of the
Service of Process Act [2010:1932]).
Licence period
Licences are granted for a maximum of two years at a time.
When the license period expires
If you want the licence to be extended once the licence period has expired,
you must apply for a new licence well before the licence period expires. A
new application fee is to be paid for the number of machines included in the
application.
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October 2012
Changed licence conditions
If any of the conditions change regarding your licence, e.g. that you want to
change the type of game, you want more gaming machines or if the
composition of the board of a legal entity changes, you should apply for a
new licence immediately. If your new application is granted, the old licence
will cease to apply and a new licence will be issued.
If new statutes or new articles of association are adopted, these should also be
submitted to the Swedish Gambling Authority without delay.
If you wish to cease gaming operations, this should be communicated in
writing to the Swedish Gambling Authority no later than the end of the
month. This is important to ensure that the checking fee is not charged for
the following month. If notification has not been made, the checking fee must
be paid, even if the machines have been removed.
Contact information
Swedish Gambling Authority
Box 199
SE-645 23 Strängnäs, Sweden
Telephone: +46 152 650 100
Fax: +46 152 650 180
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.lotteriinspektionen.se
Bank giro: 50 50-0875
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October 2012
Information about licensing of amusement
games
Act on arrangements for certain gaming machines
(1982:636)
The Act on arrangements for certain gaming machines (1982:636) (the gaming
machine Act) regulates games in mechanical or electronic gaming machines
that do not provide winnings or which only provide winnings in the form of
free games on the machine – so-called amusement games. Such amusement
games require licences when they are placed in areas or locations to which the
general public has access. This also applies to areas or locations to which
access is limited, for example, by invitation or membership of a certain
association, if the circle of people who are granted access and the conditions
for access are equivalent to such premises or places.
Licences cannot be granted for gaming machines that are specifically intended
for use as hazard games, so-called ‘risk games’, for example poker, 21 and
bagatelle or for machines with games specifically intended for gambling for
money such as games with fruit wheels and poker games.
Suitable premises and suitable location
Licence application investigations also include consideration regarding the
premises' suitability for gaming as well as their location. For example, gaming
machines placed in premises close to schools, recreation centres, sports
facilities, etc., can have a negative effect on the work of the school and the life
of such associations. These circumstances may, therefore, be significant
during the licensing procedure.
The Swedish Gambling Authority can link a licence to conditions on a
minimum age for access and times when gaming activities may be carried out
and other conditions needed to prevent gaming operations from causing a
lack of order or from being conducted in an environment that is unsuitable
for children or young people.
Requirements on the party applying for a licence
The party providing recreational games must have the personal requirements
to be able to carry out the activities without creating an environment that is
unsuitable for children or young people. There should be reason to assume,
therefore, that the game organiser has both the will and the ability to prevent
the emergence of, for example, alcohol and drug abuse, crime or antisocial
behaviour. For this reason, the relevant municipality and police authority are
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October 2012
given the opportunity to express their view before a decision on a licence for
recreational games is made. If there are already other grounds on which the
application will be denied, the municipality and the police do not need to be
consulted.
Rules about your obligations as the licence holder, what the licensing
procedure involves, when a licence can be withdrawn and what happens if
you break the rules, are contained in the gaming machine Act.
In terms of licences and applications, the The Gaming Machine (2004:1062)
applies.
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