Spelinspektionen Hits Operator For Not Following the Rules

As Sweden prepares to tighten its grip on the online gaming segment, an operator is being called out for not playing by the rules. The Swedish Bingo Association (SBA) has been reprimanded by Spelinspektionen, Sweden’s gaming regulator, for inadvertently violating responsible gambling laws.

Swedish Gaming Operator Gets Warning, Avoids Fine

Spelinspektionen claims that the logos of the Swedish Gambling Authority (SGA) for self-testing and bet limitation, determination of login time and suspension from games were not displayed on the idrottensbingo.se website as required.

Players could view prompts and responsible gambling messages when they logged in. However, they were absent from the home page of the site, which led to the regulator launching a review.

The SGA stated that the review of the website of the operator revealed that the logos were only placed at the top in logged-in mode. This was, according to the SBA, in line with what it felt was required.

“Because the logos must also be visible on the home page before a player has logged in to their gaming account, that is to say, even in logged-out mode, their absence is a shortcoming in relation to what is prescribed in LIFS 2018: 2.”

Only a Minor Misstep

The regulator concluded that the Swedish Bingo Association was not guilty of willful misconduct because the logos could still be seen when they logged in.

It stated that the operator had made corrective actions in the relevant areas while the case was being processed. This led to the SGA concluding that the breach was not to be considered serious but that it could not be excused.

A response was given, and a comment was considered adequate. The regulator stated, “Against this background, a remark is a sufficient intervention.”

If Spelinspektionen had decided that the infraction was more serious, it could have taken harsher action against SBA. This includes a fine or revocation of the platform’s license. The latter was used against many 24 Curacao-based companies in November and December.

Sweden recently reintroduced temporary restrictions to the online gambling space. These were in response to the omicron COVID-19 variant. The restrictions begin on February 7 and are expected to last for around four months.