Swedish Court Dismisses Betsson’s SEK20m Fine
Sweden’s Administrative Court has repealed the SEK20 million fine (€2 million) imposed on Betsson Nordic (STO: BETS-B) by the Swedish gaming regulator, Spelinspektionen.
The fine, together with a warning, was given last year for breaches of the Swedish Gambling Act, but it was immediately appealed by Betsson. Spelinspektionen said that by allowing players to top up their accounts using vouchers bought from convenience store chains Pressbyrån and 7-Eleven, the chains had effectively acted as gaming agents without being registered as such, which is contrary to the Gambling Act.
However, the Administrative Court has ruled that the situation was not covered by the Gambling Act as the sale of vouchers does not count as the sale of gambling products, the receipt of bets, or the mediation of winnings. The court also found that Betsson has not received payments from anyone other than gaming service providers or received cash as payment through the sale of the vouchers.
In March 2019, Betsson launched a payment card together with Mastercard (NYSE: MA) that it claimed would give players the chance to receive tickets to sporting events and other offers. Spelinspektionen claimed that this was the use of unauthorized bonuses, as operators are only allowed to offer customers a one-time bonus on sign up.
The court ruled that while tickets and other benefits would be considered unauthorized bonuses, Betsson’s statements did not count as offers of such within the bounds of the law.
Therefore, the court determined that Spelinspektionen had no grounds to issue a warning or impose a penalty fee on the operator. Spelinspektionen may still appeal the ruling at the Administrative Court of Appeal in Jönköping, where there are currently a number of cases regarding gambling law being heard.
Related:
Recent times have seen a number of Spelinspektionen decisions overturned or changed after an appeal. For example, earlier this month the Court of Appeal refused to allow the regulator to appeal a case against Kindred subsidiary Spooniker that related to a loophole in the country’s deposit cap.
Last month, the Court of Appeal reduced penalties against both Genesis Global and Aspire Global’s Ag Communications, ruling that the regulator could not base penalties on turnover for offenses soon after the Swedish regulated market opened.
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