Swedish court overturns regulator’s decisions

The gambling regulator from Sweden had granted short term licences but a court overturned this decision and extended the licences for three years.

Sweden.- Spelinspektionen, Sweden’s gambling regulator, granted earlier this year a one-year licence to four different companies. The regulator had the option to award the licences for a maximum period of five years, but due to different causes it held back and granted them for just one. However, a court has challenged this decision and extended the licences for three years.

The Administrative Court of Linköping analysed Spelinspektionen’s decision to grant these licences for one year and decided to overturn it. The court has extended the operating licences of AG Communications, MT Securetrade, Hero Gaming, and Gaming Innovation Group’s Ellmount Gaming to a maximum of three years.

Spelinspektionen had granted them a one-year licence due to negative equity or shortages in capital strength. While the maximum period for a licence is five years, the court decided to extend these licences by three years. While it agreed with Spelinspektionen’s criteria when granting the licences for less than what they had asked for, the court believed that the operators deserved more time than just a year.

“The Administrative Court, like Spelinspektionen, considers that negative equity and shortages in capital strength. The court and the gambling regulator from Sweden think they are valid reasons to limit the period. However, they consider that three years is a sufficient and proportionate limitation,” said the gambling regulator from Sweden.

Spelinspektionen and the operators can appeal this decision before August 9. “The gambling regulator is now considering whether it should appeal or not. In that case, an appeal must be lodged no later than August 9, 2019. The gaming companies can also appeal against the judges,” said Spelinspektionen on a press statement issued on Thursday.