Swedish court annuls Svenska Spel warning and sanction fee
The warning and sanction fee against Svenska Spel Sport & Casino was placed in March 2024 following a 2021 inspection.
Key points:
– A warning and SEK 100m ($10.5m) administrative fine against Svenska Spel by the Swedish Gambling Authority (Spelinspektionen) has been annulled
– The Administrative Court in Linköping felt the operator had acted in accordance with Chapter 14 of the Gambling Act
The Administrative Court in Linköping, Sweden has annulled a sanction fee and warning placed against Svenska Spel Sport & Casino by the national gaming regulator, Spelinspektionen.
The warning and SEK 100m ($10.5m) administrative fine were first placed against Svenska Spel in March 2024, following a duty of care inspection in 2021. After appealing the decision to the Administrative Court in Linköping, the operator will no longer be subject to these conditions.
The original reason for the fine, Spelinspektionen argued, was due to Svenska Spel not fulfilling duties outlined in Chapter 14 of the Gambling Act, which relates to duty of care. The regulator found that, between 17 October – 17 December 2021, when auditing 10 customers with lost funds from gaming, the operator had been aware of their problem gaming yet had not acted sufficiently to aid them.
Good to know: Recently, Svenska Spel donated towards a vulnerable areas initiative by the Swedish Football Association
This conclusion was appealed, with Svenska Spel believing it had fulfilled the requirements set out in Chapter 14. This was agreed upon by the Administrative Court in Linköping.
On the decision, Svenska Spel Sport & Casino AB President and Business Area Manager Fredrik Wastenson said: “It is gratifying that the Administrative Court upholds our appeal and annuls the Swedish Gambling Authority’s decision. We appealed because we believe that the sanction fee is disproportionate in relation to the shortcomings and because there is a need to create greater clarity in the interpretation of the duty of care.
“We believe that the authority may only take measures that are supported by the legal system, the so-called principle of legality, which the court has also stated.”
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