Tax rises are not necessarily the nightmare scenario that the betting and gaming industry fears, Paf CEO Christer Fahlstedt tells the latest issue of SBC Leaders magazine.
It is a subject that Fahlstedt has considerable expertise in, having seen gambling taxes increase in four of the operator’s key markets: Sweden, Finland, Estonia and Latvia.
While the instinctive reaction to such developments is that they must be bad for business, Paf’s earnings have fallen only slightly from €55.1m to €54.3m. Having navigated the changing market conditions relatively successfully, the CEO can perhaps afford to be a little nonchalant.
“Taxes going up is a trend. It’s going to continue to increase, so it’s just a fact of life,” says Fahlstedt.
He accepts that the level of gambling taxation is not a key consideration for most voters, making it an attractive target for governments seeking additional revenues to fund public services.
Fahlstedt also has little time for industry warnings that increasing duties risks driving players to the black market, adding: “If we scream too much about tax increases we are not necessarily helping our cause.
“We need to have a joint view. ‘When tax goes higher, please make sure you – the government – protects us from unlicensed operators.’ That’s the deal that has to be made.”
He is joined on the magazine’s cover by his Paf colleague, Deputy CEO and Chief Responsibility Officer Daniela Johansson, who also expresses views out of kilter with accepted industry wisdom.
Johansson has played a key role in not just establishing Paf’s renowned player protection measures, which include mandatory loss limits for players, but also monitoring their efficacy.
This perhaps explains why hers is one of the few voices to suggest that the player protection provision in the eagerly-awaited new regulatory regime due to launch in Finland in 2027 is not robust enough.
“I would have hoped for stronger measures,” says Johansson. “For example, a central deposit limit system where players set their limit once, and that same limit applies across all licensed operators. That would have been a real step forward for player protection.
“It’s especially important now, when we’re seeing a lot more young people starting to gamble and a big increase in contacts to helplines from that age group.
“As a society, we should do more to protect them. They’ve grown up with gambling elements in games, like loot boxes, and can easily open accounts at unlicensed sites. I believe we as a society have failed to protect them.”
UK taxes and US predictions
Issue 38 of SBC Leaders also features a different take on the impact of tax rises, with an in-depth feature on the fallout from the Budget in the UK. Further deep dives include looks at the friction generated by the arrival of prediction market sports contracts in the US, and the relationship between the UK’s Gambling Commission and Financial Conduct Authority.
Meanwhile, LOYRA Partner and International Masters of Gaming Law (IMGL) member Patricia Lalanda Ordóñez examines the pros and cons of the Spanish regulator’s new RG algorithm.
Readers can also look forward to a selection of interviews, including with Banijay Gaming Chairman Nicolas Béraud, 888AFRICA CEO Christopher Coyne, BetMGM’s Matt Prevost and Shawn Fluharty of Better Gambling Forum.
Rounding out the issue are the thoughts of some prominent supplier CEOs, such as Fincore’s Mateja Popovic, Vyking’s Franz Gerhart, EvenBet Gaming’s Dmitry Starostenkov and Xtremepush’s Tommy Kearns, along with SIS Managing Director Paul Witten and IGT Playsports SVP Joe Bertolone.
Read the digital edition of SBC Leaders magazine here or pick up a print copy from the SBC Events booth (2C10) at ICE, which takes place at Fira Barcelona Gran Via on 19–21 January 2026.