Norman

Maria McDonald is a Swedish lawyer specialised in legal matters related to gambling, media and sponsorships; she also has extensive experience of working in dispute resolution, IT and data protection.  Maria has, during the majority of her career, worked as in-house legal counsel and as the Head of Legal in Unibet and in Lagardère Sports.  Maria has also previously acted as Chairman of the Danish Online Gambling Association (DOGA) and treasurer of the Swedish Branschföreningen för Onlinespel (BOS). Sweden has voted to permanently close its last remaining casino, marking a bold departure from land-based gambling in favour of a fully digital future. This article unpacks the government’s rationale, the economic and regulatory forces behind the move, and what it signals for the next era of gambling — where algorithms replace roulette wheels, and compliance code takes centre stage.