Betway fined by Swedish gambling regulator
The operator managed to escape the highest penalty for unauthorised bonus campaigns.
Sweden.- The Swedish gambling regulator Spelinspektionen has fined Betway SEK100,000 (€9,800) over an unauthorised bonus campaign.
The regulator received a complaint on June 10 reporting that Betway SE had offered part of its customer a “200% match bonus offer”.
Sweden’s Gaming Act, which came into force in January 2019, allows operators to offer welcome bonuses only. Subsequent bonuses cannot be offered to existing customers.
Betway SE recognised that it was at fault, blaming a “back-office error”. It said it has removed all bonus incentives from its back-office management system for Sweden in order to avoid any future mistakes.
It said just 53 players were credited with the match bonus and that all of them had been contacted. “No player was financially negatively affected,” it said.
Spelinspektionen decided on a SEK100,000 fine rather than the maximum possible fine of a 10 per cent charge on registered turnover noting that Betway SE had taken steps to fix the error and that only a small number of players had been involved.
It said: “When assessing the size of the penalty fee, the Swedish Gaming Inspectorate has taken into account the seriousness of the infringement, how long it lasted and Betway Limited’s revenue.
“The Swedish Gaming Inspectorate states, with reference to the mitigating circumstances referred to above, that it was a matter of a less serious infringement that went on for a short time. Against that background determines The Swedish Gaming Inspectorate issues a fine of SEK100,000.”
Last month, Spelinspektionen issued an injunction banning Disrupt Entertainment Limited from offering online gambling services in Sweden.
It was the third prohibition order against a Curaçao-licensed gaming operator in the past month. It has previously issued injunctions against Nero Media and Indigo Soft.
