Betfair Global’s challenge to a substantial penalty levied by Sweden’s gambling authority, Spelinspektionen, was dismissed by the nation’s top administrative court.
In June 2019, Betfair was discovered permitting underage (under 18) participation in sports wagering, a serious violation of Swedish gaming regulations. Consequently, Spelinspektionen imposed a fine of 5.5 million Swedish Krona (approximately $522,000).
Betfair contested the penalty, initially in an administrative court in April 2020, but their efforts were unsuccessful. Undeterred, they escalated the matter to the Court of Appeal in June 2021 and successfully secured a reduction of the fine to 4.5 million Krona.
However, their most recent attempt to appeal the ruling through the administrative court proved futile. Betfair must now accept the reduced penalty and has been issued a formal caution.
This is not an isolated occurrence. Other operators, SkillOnNet and Betway, also faced Spelinspektionen’s scrutiny and lost their appeals against their respective fines.
SkillOnNet was providing prohibited bonuses and conducting lotteries not permitted under their gaming license. Similarly, Betway was found offering unauthorized bonuses. These infractions led Spelinspektionen to impose fines of 14 million Krona on SkillOnNet and 4.7 million Krona on Betway. Both companies have been reprimanded and are now obligated to pay.
A Betsson branch, NGG Nordic, successfully negotiated a reduction in their substantial penalty from the Swedish Gambling Authority in January of 2022. Initially handed a 19 million SEK fine, the company contested the decision and achieved a lowered sum of 14 million SEK – a significant amount, but considered a victory for the organization.
admin