A subsidiary of Betsson and the operator of the PlayOJO online casino have been the latest companies to be fined by Sweden’s gambling regulator over violations of the country’s bonus offers rules.
In a statement issued today on its official website, Spelinspektionen announced that it has fined white label casino operator Skill On Net Ltd. and NGG Nordic Ltd., a subsidiary of online gambling group Betsson, after founding out that brands operated by the two licensees have offered multiple bonuses and other incentives to their Swedish customers, despite the existing rules.
Under Sweden’s newly adopted online gambling law, licensed gambling operators can only treat their customers to a single bonus offer when they open an account with them.
The Fines
NGG Nordic operates the Nordicbet brand in Sweden. The company was fined SEK19 million by Spelinspektionen for offering incentives to its players that were deemed incompatible with the law. According to the Swedish Gambling Authority’s statement, the incentives offered came in the form of “weekly surprises, cash prize draws, travel and free spins, bonuses, rewards, free games to loyal players.”
It also became known that NGG Nordic’s brand kept on offering those incentives for four months into Sweden’s new gambling regime, which took effect on January 1, 2019.
The Nordicbet website was also found out to have organized lotteries, a product not covered by its license by Spelinspektionen.
As for SkillOnNet, the company was fined SEK14 million for similar violations of the Swedish gambling law. SkillOnNet operates multiple brands in the Scandinavian nation, including PlayOJO, VegasWinner, and Mega Casino.
Spelinspektionen discovered that the company’s websites offered various types of bonuses, including daily and monthly rewards, free spins, cashback, and VIP packages. SkillOnNet’s brands were also found out to have organized online lottery games, which are not covered by the company’s Swedish license.
News about SkillOnNet’s fine arrive shortly after the company’s PlayOJO online casino announced that it would reduce its advertising activity in Sweden in a bid to protect underage members of the country’s population from being exposed to its products. PlayOJO revealed that its TV ads would no longer air between 4pm and 9pm local time as part of its social responsibility effort.
Betsson Disagrees with Spelinspektionen’s Actions
Betsson issued a statement on the fine imposed on its subsidiary, saying that it “does not agree with SGA’s (Swedish Gambling Authority) interpretations and supports NGG Nordic Ltd’s view that their customer offerings have been in line with what is permitted under the new gambling legislation.”
The gambling group added that despite their opinion on the matter, they have made changes to their offering immediately after being informed by Spelinspektionen about the irregularities spotted by the agency.
Betsson added that “the regulation on bonuses is vague and has been shown to leave much room for different interpretations.” The company’s statement also reveals that NGG Nordic will appeal Spelinspektionen’s decision and will ask courts to provide guidance on how Sweden’s bonus rules should be interpreted.
Betsson’s subsidiary and SkillOnNet are joining a group of other Sweden-facing operators to have been punished by the local regulator over bonus rules violations, with those others being Betway, Mandalorian, AG Communications Limited and Genesis Global Limited.
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