Sweden fines licence holders

The gambling regulator from Sweden said that AG Communications and Genesis have violated current regulations.

Sweden.- Spelinspektionen, Sweden’s gambling regulator, has revealed in a news statement that gaming companies could face penalty fines related to bonus offers. The regulator said that gaming companies can only offer their customers a bonus the first time they play.

Spelinspektionen said that it has found that licence holders have violated the legislation by informing their customers about the possibility of receiving recurring bonuses on their website.

As a result of those findings, the authority from Sweden decided to fine two operators. AG Communications Limited received a note and a penalty fee of €47k, while Genesis Global limited was subject to a note and a penalty fee of €160k.

According to current regulations in Sweden, an offer of more than one bonus is sufficient for the licence holder to violate the bonus clause. “The fact that the licensees stated that they did not issue bonuses to the customers does not mean that the bonus provision has not been violated. Already an offer poses a high risk from a gaming responsibility perspective since the offer itself has been able to attract players with problems to games,” explained the regulator.

“The main purpose of the new gambling regulation, which came into force on January 1, 2019, is to strengthen consumer protection and reduce the negative effects of gambling. The limitation on bonuses is featured in the law to reduce social and economic damages and problem gambling. The authority will therefore continue to focus on supervision of this area,” said the authority.