Claymore Malta Blocked from Swedish Market
Spelinspektionen has prohibited Claymore Malta from offering games in Sweden after concluding the operator targeted Swedish players without a licence.
LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE:Sweden s gambling regulator, Spelinspektionen, announced a ban on Claymore Malta Ltd after an internal supervisory investigation found evidence that two of the company's sites were operating toward the Swedish market without authorisation. The probe, which examined activity on ibet.com between December 1 and December 8, 2025, concluded that the Swedish country code was preselected for users accessing the site from Swedish IP addresses and that Swedish-language marketing was being used to attract local customers.
Investigators said they observed promotional activity via Swedish-speaking content creators on video-streaming platforms and on Swedish-language websites that appeared to be aimed at Swedish consumers. A mystery-shopper test purchase carried out by the regulator reportedly found no effective technical barrier preventing Swedish residents from registering and playing.
Spelinspektionen also identified a second domain, arcticcasino.com, as being operated by Claymore Malta. In a response dated December 12, Claymore Malta said it had stopped direct SMS marketing to Swedish phone numbers, removed Swedish-language content from ibet.com and ended affiliate marketing arrangements. The regulator, however, maintained that elements of Swedish-language promotion remained in circulation and that the measures taken by the operator were not sufficient to bring it out of the scope of Swedish law.
Related: Spelinspektionen Bans Satoshi Gaming in Sweden
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The action against Claymore comes as Sweden moves to broaden the reach of its Gambling Act of 2018. A government-commissioned review completed in 2025 recommended scrapping the so-called "directional criterion", which requires evidence that an operator explicitly aims its product at the Swedish market, and replacing it with a "participant perspective". Under the proposed approach, the decisive test would be whether people located in Sweden can take part in an online gaming offering. Operators would be expected to implement "appropriate and effective measures" such as geoblocking and more robust identity checks to ensure services are not accessible to residents.
Industry observers said the Claymore ruling illustrates the practical difficulties regulators face when dealing with cross-border operators. "The shift to a participant perspective is a necessary evolution in regulation", said Dr. Anna Holm, chair of Gambling Policy Studies at Lund University. "Relying on proof of deliberate targeting lets operators exploit grey areas. If an offer can be accessed from Sweden, that should be enough for regulators to act. Technical safeguards and transparent affiliate management are essential to make that principle meaningful in practice."
Erik Lund, a former compliance director now advising online gaming firms, added: "Operators must not treat geoblocking as optional. Effective exclusion requires layered controls: IP and telemetry screening, reliable identity verification and proactive management of affiliates and content creators. Failure to do so risks enforcement actions and reputational damage across regulated markets."
Spelinspektionen has signalled it will press for expanded enforcement powers should the legislative changes be enacted, including clearer authority to demand take-downs and issue penalties against unlicensed operators targeting Swedish residents. The regulator's recent interventions, including action against other offshore operators offering unregulated products to Sweden, demonstrate a more aggressive posture toward protecting the licensed market.
For operators, the ruling serves as a reminder that passive availability of a product to Swedish IP addresses may no longer be defensible. For players, it highlights the continued risks of using unlicensed sites, including limited consumer protections and recourse in the event of disputes.
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