Swedish Court Ruling Positively Affects Penalties of Several Gambling Brands

Sweden's Court of Appeal has ruled in favor of five gambling companies, reducing penalties imposed by Spelinspektionen (Swedish Gambling Authority).

The brands in question are Hajper Ltd, Snabbare Ltd, ComeOn Sweden Ltd, Casinostugan Ltd, and XC Gaming Sweden Ltd — four of which belong to the ComeOn Group.

Their operators were fined for bonus breaches, with total fines initially amounting to SEK 165 million. XC Gaming was fined SEK 5 million for breaches made in 2020.

According to Swedish law, gambling entities licensed by Spelinspektionen may only offer bonuses at signup. The regulator and the Administrative Court found the five brands guilty of repeatedly offering bonuses — including to customers showing signs of gambling harm.

The Reduced Fines Explained

Earlier in May, the Supreme Administrative Court (SAC) ruled that fines should be calculated based on an entity’s gross gaming revenue (GGR) rather than 10% of the previous year’s turnover.

Thanks to this ruling, many operators have appealed their penalty amounts, leading to several reductions.

• XC Gaming’s fine was reduced to SEK 1.2 million (from SEK 5 million).

• Casinostugan’s fine was reduced to SEK 8 million (from SEK 25 million).

• ComeOn Sweden’s fine was reduced to SEK 13 million (from SEK 35 million).

• Snabbare’s fine was reduced to SEK 24 million (from SEK 65 million).

• Hajper’s fine was reduced to SEK 14 million (from SEK 40 million).

Penalty Changes for Mr Green Limited, Spooniker Ltd, and Hillside (Sports) ENC

The Court of Appeal also adjusted penalties for three other iGaming operators:

• Mr Green Limited — originally fined SEK 30 million for failing to meet duty of care obligations; reduced to SEK 12 million. The company also received a SEK 1.5 million fine for anti-money laundering shortcomings.

• Spooniker Ltd — fine reduced from SEK 100 million to SEK 30 million for providing bonuses and lotteries.

• Hillside (Sports) ENC — fine reduced from SEK 1 million to SEK 400,000 for offering bets on underage football matches.

Under these rulings, operators have collectively saved millions in penalties they were initially required to pay.

The SGA Recommends Inclusion of Gambling Accounts in Financial Oversight

In a related update, the Swedish Gambling Authority (SGA) announced new recommendations aimed at combating money laundering.

• The SGA recommends including gambling account information in the national account and safe deposit box system.

• The regulator argues that such inclusion would help authorities identify and prevent criminal activity linked to organized crime and money laundering.

• Licensed operators would be required to provide account data, enabling more effective prevention, investigation, and taxation enforcement.

The new rulings and recommendations reflect Sweden’s ongoing effort to ensure fairness and integrity within its regulated gambling market while addressing financial transparency and player protection.