Sweden fines media outlet for linking unlicensed site

The Lotteriinspektionen has slapped media outlet Nyheter24 with a €9.6k for hyperlinking to an unlicensed gambling website.

Sweden.- Swedish gambling regulator, Lotteriinspektionen, has fined a news organisation €9.6k for hyperlinking an unlicensed online gambling website. The media outlet refused to remove links on its website to the internationally licensed operators and was punished by the local watchdog.

The dispute originated in 2014. Back then, Lotteriinspektionen attempted to get an injunction against the news outlet for linking to said sites. The media company continued to do so despite it’s being forbidden by Swedish law.

Back in October 2017, the injunction against Nyheter24 finally came into force after a Supreme Administrative Court ruling. After that, the country’s regulator urged the court to punish the media outlet after showing it was still displaying the hyperlink.

Though Nyheter24 can appeal the ruling, Sweden’s Court of Appeal has just upheld a court ruling that sanctioned two other outlets for the same reason. However, local media outlets continue to fight Lotteriinspektionen over its protection of the state-run Svenska Spel gambling monopoly as the Europen Union has stated it is in violation of its rules on free trade in goods and services among EU member states.