Denmark’s top gaming regulator, Spillemyndigheden or the Danish Gambling Authority (DGA), has published new figures concerning compliance checks.

According to the DGA’s three-page document, 255 criminal cases were brought against gaming arcades and pubs as a result of more than 4,000 checks carried out between 2019 and 2021.

However, over the past three years, cases have been in decline. Of the 255 police reports, 2021 accounted for less than 20%, while 2019 was responsible for nearly 50%. But a similar trend did not apply to the overall number of compliance checks.

Though 2019 still saw more carried out than in the subsequent two years, 1,511 checks were conducted during 2021. This number represents approximately 37% of the 4,023 checks carried out in total over the past three years.

The pandemic did impact the figures for 2020, as acknowledged by the regulator, who said: “Markedly fewer compliance checks were completed due to lockdowns and other measures related to Covid-19.”

While this may have resulted in a knock-on effect going into 2021, possibly inflating last year’s compliance figures, reports and consequently violations nevertheless appear to be decreasing in proportion to checks.

Moreover, all gaming machines are connected to the DGA’s tracking system that monitors activity. Every year, the regulator compares this against the fees reported by operators. In 2019 and 2020, this check brought in DKK 432,675 ($60,993) and DKK 499,765, respectively, in extra fees.