Denmark Blocks 55 Illegal Gambling Sites, Thousands More Breach Rules

Days after ACMA, the Australian media regulator, blocked access to many websites that have been offering illegal gambling to its citizens, Denmark published a report that outlined the scope of its own efforts to clamp down on offshore betting that wrongfully targeted Danish citizens.

Record Number of Illegal Gambling Sites Blocked in Denmark

A report by Spillemyndigheden, Denmark’s gambling body, said that it had been able to block some 55 domains from accessing the Danish market in 2021 alone. Denmark is considered to be the only state in the European Union that fully meets the European Commission’s guidelines on gambling, which puts in perspective the doggedness of illegal operators who try to still break ground there.

Denmark has seen a considerable increase in these attempted breaches, Spillemyndigheden explained, with the number of sites blocked in 2020 being 16. The present rate constitutes a three-fold increase, and a total of 145 sites have been blocked since the regulator began this practice back in 2012. The most recent tally adds significantly to this.

Yet, the regulator seems to be acting slowly compared to how many websites there are that accept Danish players without a proper license. Working with the Danish Tax Agency, Spillemyndigheden has been able to identify an increasing number of gambling sites. According to the agencies, 2,709 websites were found via public Internet searches.

This is a significant increase from 2020 when the available websites breaching some blocking rules were 1,565. In 2021, 210 requests were placed with authorities to investigate illegal gambling websites which have shown an increase from both experts and consumers eager to eliminate illegitimate websites.

Denmark though has one of the best channeling rates in Europe, despite lack of aggressive advertisement. Channeling is referred to as the practice of offering gamblers a sufficient product that incentivizes them to not pursue illegal gambling markets. Some 10% of gamblers in Denmark still do or at least gamble at foreign websites that do not necessarily target the Danish market, a study by H2 Gambling Capital confirmed earlier this week.

Re-regulating the Market Frequently

Overall, the Danish gambling regulator is confident that it has been able to keep the most aggressive of these websites at bay as it increasingly focuses on illegal gambling. Denmark has been pro-actively keeping up to date with the latest best practices industry-wide.

In many cases, it has helped shape them. The country has revised its gambling licensing system on three occasions so far, with a new way underway. The previous successful efforts were recorded in 2015, 2018, and 2020.

The new regulatory standards should be introduced by April 26, 2022, pending regulatory approval by the European Commission.