Danish regulator wins Supreme Court hearing on fate of player funds at bankrupt igaming operator
Spillemyndigheden will intervene on behalf of a player in an attempt to claim protection of funds deposited with an operator that went bankrupt.
Denmark.- The Danish gambling regulator Spillemyndigheden has flagged up bankruptcy cases involving two online gambling operators that it previously licensed.
On the one hand, the regulator alerted players that Jackpotbet A/S entered bankruptcy proceedings on June 18, 2026. As a result, the operator’s licences to offer online casino gaming and betting in Denmark have lapsed. The regulator advised players with funds deposited with the gaming provider to contact the trustee in the case, DLA Piper Denmark Advokatpartnerselskab.
Supreme Court to hear case over player deposits with DK Gambling ApS
Meanwhile, Spillemyndigheden noted that the fate of players’ funds at another bankrupt gaming provider is to be heard by Denmark’s Supreme Court. This case relates to DK Gambling ApS, which was taken into bankruptcy proceedings in April 2022.
The trustee on behalf of the bankruptcy estate refused to pay out the money that players had in their gaming accounts when the company went bankrupt because, in the trustee’s opinion, the money was not specifically protected against bankruptcy. Spillemyndigheden suggests that this interpretation contradicts Danish gambling legislation. This led to a player filing a lawsuit with the regulator’s support.
The Maritime and Commercial Court initially ruled in favour of the trustee. However, an appeal led to a High Court decision in November that ruled in favour of the player. The High Court affirmed that funds in a gambling account with the bankrupt operator are specially protected and accrue to the customer, without the other creditors of the bankruptcy estate. The ruling reverses the previous judgment of the Maritime and Commercial Court. The case is now scheduled for a Supreme Court hearing on March 10, 2027. Spillemyndigheden has been granted permission to intervene in the case in support of the player’s claim.
Enforcement against unlicensed online gambling sites
Meanwhile, Spillemyndigheden has ordered internet service providers in Denmark to block 98 more gambling websites, including Polymarket. The regulator said the latest action takes the total number of illegal gambling domains that it has blocked since 2012 to 870.
The latest batch of blocked websites was found to be deliberately targeting Danish users. According to Spillemyndigheden, the sites used Danish language, currency, and national symbols, while also offering native payment methods and customer service in Danish. Marketing materials were tailored specifically to residents, further demonstrating that the platforms were designed to attract local players.
