Danish Ministry of Taxation proposes changes in slots fees to pay for new regulatory powers

The ministry is consulting on proposals to give the Danish gambling regulator more powers and funding.

Denmark.- The Ministry of Taxation has proposed amendments to Denmark’s Gambling Act that would give more powers to the national gambling regulator, Spillemyndigheden. It proposes that the regulator be allowed to secure “necessary information” and to “confidentially exchange information” to tackle matchfixing.

The ministry also suggests that the regulator should have more power to issue sanctions, including injunctions. In the case of gambling operators, it would be able to revoke licences if operators are found to breach sports integrity rules. It would also have more power to process and analyse gambling data, which would involve the use of a unique player ID for the monitoring of match-fixing and money laundering risks.

If approved, the new powers would enter force on July 1, 2024. The Ministry of Taxation says the cost of the new powers could be funded by changes to fees for slot machines under which licensees would be charged based on taxable gambling income rather than per machine. It also suggests the introduction of a new licence for B2B suppliers.

The new fees would apply from January 1, 2025. The changes in slot fees would generate an estimated additional DDK 1.3m in 2024 and DKK 3.5m in 2025, while the B2B licence regime would generate DKK 1.3m in 2024, DKK 2.6m in 2025 rising to 2031 and DKK 2.4m from 2032.

The proposal comes after Spillemyndigheden took over the remit for protecting the integrity of sports from Anti-Doping Denmark earlier this year. The ministry is consulting with the industry, including with the Land-based Gambling Association Denmark (LGA) and Casino Association, as well as with the Danish Sports Confederation, the Danish Vending Machine Industry Association, the Danish Trot and Gallop Union and the Bar Association.

Last month, Denmark’s gambling self-exclusion system ROFUS was extended to retail betting as well as land-based casinos and online gambling. The expansion of the initiative was made possible by the introduction of new rules that require the use of ID cards for retail betting.