Swedish regulator fines ice hockey club over Gambling Act violations
The regulator says IF Björklöven committed breaches of a “serious nature”.
Sweden-. The Swedish gambling regulator Spelinspektionen has imposed a penalty of SEK 25,000 (€2,250) on the ice hockey club IF Björklöven.
The team holds a licence to operate lottery games, which helps finance its activities. However, the regulator concluded that the club committed violations of the Gambling Act linked to corporate restructuring, describing them as of a “serious nature.”
The issue came to light in June, when IF Björklöven informed Spelinspektionen about plans to introduce a digital lottery. During its review, the regulator discovered that the club had changed members of its board and management without providing notification.
Further checks revealed that undisclosed changes had occurred on three separate occasions related to the appointment of one person in 2023, two in 2024, and eight in 2025, totalling eleven unreported appointments.
Under Swedish law, licence holders must inform Spelinspektionen within 14 days of any alterations to their senior corporate structure. This requirement ensures that new appointees meet regulatory standards, such as not being bankrupt or linked to criminal proceedings.
When determining the fine, the regulator considered both the length of the deficiencies and the club’s financial turnover. For the 2024/25 financial year, IF Björklöven reported SEK 432,606 (£35,000) in net turnover. Under the Swedish Gambling Act, penalties must fall between SEK 5,000 and 10 per cent of turnover. Spelinspektionen ultimately set the sanction at SEK 25,000, citing the seriousness and duration of the breaches.
Swedish gambling reforms
Following a review of current legislation by investigator Marcus Isgren, it’s expected that the Swedish Gambling Act will be amended to close a regulatory loophole that has prevented the Swedish gambling regulator from taking action against some unlicensed operators.
In the meantime, the government intends to introduce a ban on licensed gambling operators and gambling agents allowing or contributing to gambling financed with credit. The move, which will apply from April 2026, represents an extension of the ban that currently exists on licensees providing credit for gambling.
Currently, gambling on credit is only banned if the credit is provided directly by a licensed gambling operator or their agents, which means that players can still gamble using credit obtained from other sources. The proposed law is intended to close this gap.
