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World Cup boost sales for gaming firms

The unpredictable results of the 2014 World Cup have been good news for the Swedish gaming industry, with sales increasing by 50 percent compared to 12 months ago.

World Cup boost sales for gaming firms

Zlatan Ibrahimovic and company may not have qualified for the football extravaganza in Brazil, but Swedes are certainly keen on betting on the action in South America. 

"There have been more bets traded than during the last World Cup when looking at the group stage, and the group stage isn't even finished yet so it's very positive figures," Michael Stålblom of Sweden's state-owned gaming company Svenska Spel told Swedish Radio's Ekot.

Betting sales have rocketed by an estimated 50 percent in comparison to 2013, when no major football tournament was taking place.

Stålblom added that the shock results, such as Spain and England being dumped out in the first round, have helped the gaming firms clean up.

Betting is tightly controlled in Sweden, with only Svenska Spel having a high-street presence. However, there are no such restrictions for online betting firms, which have been advertising heavily on television and other media formats during the tournament.

It's also common for live-betting odds to flash up on screen during televised matches during the Swedish Allsvenskan.

One Swedish football fan has already pocketed big after earning 14,000 kronor ($2,080) that Uruguay star Luis Suarez would bite somebody during the World Cup.  

The Local/pr

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