We can't just lay back, you have to push, push, push until the customer buys or clicks.
This is what a former employee at the telemarketing company Effective Communication says, which has been selling lottery tickets for Kombispel, the Social Democratic Party's lottery concern, since 2022.
It was 98 percent elderly people they sold to. It was seen as easier since they are not part of the "game", the person says to DN.
The only exception to break off the conversation was if the customer said they were demented or had a guardian, according to the former employee.
Reported 28 times
DN has been in contact with several former sellers who say they sold lottery tickets to people who likely did not understand the terms of purchase, such as that lottery subscriptions need to be cancelled. The employees describe the sales methods as "harassment".
Since May 2022, Kombispel has been reported 28 times to the Consumer Agency, and 18 of these cases concern telephone sales. Several cases involve demented people who claim they did not understand what they bought.
"Now they have called her again and sold her a lottery ticket", states a report from a relative.
Pauses lottery sales
The Social Democratic Party's group leader Lena Hallengren announced on Thursday that the telemarketing company's lottery sales will be paused. It is still unclear how long the pause will last.
We must get to the bottom of these methods that the telemarketing company is using and see if the information is true, she says to TT.
Jonas Lindholm, CEO of A-lotterierna and Kombispel, writes to DN that he is shocked by the information: "We will of course get to the bottom of this".
In 2023, the lottery business gave 9.8 million kronor to the Social Democratic Party's party funds and 6.3 million to SSU.
