Danish Regulator Receives Green Light to Block 55 Illegal Websites

The Danish court permitted Spillemyndigheden, the Danish Gambling Authority, to block 55 illegal gambling websites after receiving a set of screenshots showcasing illegal activities.

The Danish Gambling Authority set a new record for the number of blocked websites. Last year Spillemyndigheden blocked a total of 16 websites out of 17. The last one offered to leave the country voluntarily. 

Danish Gambling Authority Stuck down 55 Websites

Spillemyndigheden, the Danish Gambling Authority, has obtained a City Court’s permission to block 55 websites that were running in the country without the prerequisite authorizations. This new move divides the pages into five categories:

• Online casino
• Online casino and lottery
• Online casino and online betting
• Online casino, lottery, and online betting
• Skin betting

According to the regulator, it originally ordered the sites to suspend operations, but due to a lack of action, the case was brought to court.

On March 2, 2021, the court confirmed the Gambling Authority’s position that games on the Danish market, which were offered without the necessary licenses, were to be shut down after the court received a series of screenshots from the websites.

Following that, the procedure of banning unauthorized websites began, but the websites in question decided to appeal the ruling. The Authority had gone to court for the seventh time to get illegal betting, online gambling, and other websites blocked.

Overall, 23 skin betting and 22 online casino websites, as well as four each for online casino and lottery and online casino and online betting, and two that provided online casino, lottery, and online betting were all found to be in violation of Denmark’s gaming regulations.

Director of the Danish Gaming Authority, Anders Dorph, commented on the situation stating: “One of our most important tasks is to protect players from illegal gambling. At the same time, we must ensure that the providers who are licensed to offer games in Denmark can run their business under orderly conditions.”  

Dorph added that the number shows that further focus and effort are needed to monitor such illegal activities.

Spillemyndigheden Sets a New Record

The state regulator started looking for unapproved game websites when gambling was legalized in Denmark in 2012. With this lockdown in mind, Spillemyndigheden has intensified its efforts to fight unchecked operators targeting Danish players.

By March 2020, the regulator had tried to block 17 illicit websites of gaming. Sixteen of them were blocked last April. The 17th operation volunteered to leave the country.

The Danish Gaming Authority has won a case against illegal gambling operators before. In 2018, Danish telecoms had been ordered, following Spillemyndigheden’s court case, to block 24 gaming websites. Seven skin betting sites, two online sportsbooks, and seven online casinos were prohibited. 

Those recent events resulted in a record-high number of blocked illegal gambling websites since the Danish Gaming Authority started recording them in 2012. A total of 145 illegal websites have been blocked so far.