Danish regulator working with Facebook to combat illegal gambling offering

Spillemyndigheden has published its annual report on its work to prevent illegal gambling in Denmark.

Denmark.- The Danish gambling regulator Spillemyndigheden has released its annual report on its actions to combat unlicensed gambling. It says that it blocked a record 82 sites last year, up from 55 in 2021.

It also says that it began working with Facebook to close groups or delete posts that promoted illegal gambling after noticing an increase in illegal gambling being accessed via Facebook groups. It says that it is in the process of entering into a similar arrangement with Google in order to take action against gambling advertisements and search results on the company’s platform.

It said: “The Gambling Authority is working to establish more collaborations with other media where we see that illegal gambling or the illegal dissemination of gambling is taking place.”

Meanwhile, the regulator carried out several investigations into gambling sites with the Danish Tax Agency’s anti-fraud unit last year. It mentions in the report that it tested the use of a third party to lead investigations but that the private entity was no more effective.

Spillemyndigheden said that although it sometimes appears the illegal market is growing in size because of the number of blocking orders, the higher number was the result of its keener focus on the problem rather than an increase in offer. The Danish gambling market channelisation rate remains steady at 90 per cent.

It criticised affiliate websites that explicitly advertised opportunities to “Play outside ROFUS” in reference to the national self-exclusion system.

It said: “This is a clear breach of the purpose of the Gambling Act, which aims, among other things, to protect young people or other vulnerable people from developing gambling addiction and to ensure that games are offered in a fair, responsible and transparent manner.”

In December, Spillemyndigheden updated its responsible gambling rules to ban reactivation bonuses for lapsed players. It says such incentives are an irresponsible marketing practice.

The guidance states: “A player’s inactivity may not be a selection criterion when awarding promotional offers. Bonuses may therefore not be given on the basis of a player’s inactivity.”

See also: Danish gambling revenue up 7.5% in 2022