Consumer Ombudsman seeks ban on Postkodlotteriet advertising

Sweden’s Consumer Ombudsman is taking Postkodlotteriet to the Patent and Market Court, arguing that the lottery’s advertising on Instagram is not sufficiently moderate, SVT reports.

Swedish law requires marketing for gambling and lotteries to be moderate. The Consumer Ombudsman says Postkodlotteriet fails to meet that requirement, pointing among other things to an advertisement showing money raining over a residential neighbourhood and messages suggesting that people must act quickly to take part.

“We want clarification of what the Gambling Act’s requirement for moderation means,” Elin Berner, legal counsel at the Consumer Ombudsman, said in a press release.

The Consumer Ombudsman is seeking a ban on the advertising, backed by a conditional fine if the campaigns are not removed.