Key points:
- Snabbare, Hajper, Come on Sweden and Casinostugan will be required to pay their respective sanction fees
- Cosmogames will no longer be able to operate in Sweden
- Its newest campaign, ‘Unnecessarily exciting,’ highlights the importance of only playing at licensed operators
Spelinspektionen, the Swedish Gambling Authority, has issued a number of updates just before Christmas.
The first explains that the Supreme Administrative Court has decided not to grant leave to appeal to four gambling companies.
Snabbare is to pay SEK 24m ($2.2m), Hajper is to pay SEK 14m, ComeOn Sweden is to pay SEK 13m and Casinostugan is to pay SEK 8m in sanction fees.
The fees were imposed after it was found that the operators provided unauthorised bonuses by making multiple cash deposits into customers' gaming accounts and giving customers free bets.
Hajper was initially instructed to pay SEK 50m in fees. But, this was subsequently lowered by the Supreme Administrative Court.
As for Cosmogames, the operator was offering games in Sweden without the necessary licence and thus, the website has been deemed illegal and banned.
Good to know: The decision was made against Cosmogames for multiple reasons. Not only could customers from Sweden sign up and make an account, but the website supported stakes and withdrawals in Swedish currency. Information, policy documents, and marketing from the company and affiliates were all available in Swedish too.
The Authority has also released its latest campaign, titled 'Unnecessarily exciting.'
These animated films explain why it’s important to only play on websites that are licensed by the Authority, as well as the risks that come with illegal casinos.
Yvonne Hejdenberg, Head of Communications at the Swedish Gambling Authority, said: "Building awareness and changing behaviour is a long-term work. We believe in a concept that can work and develop over time. With the animated format, we can communicate quickly and clearly.”
It’s proving to be a busy Christmas period for the Spelinspektionen, as it issued two further sanction fee orders yesterday to Spooniker and Mr Green.
