Sweden’s gambling regulator, Spelinspektionen, has issued a further crack down on bonus offer violations after issuing two fines to Betsson’s NGG Nordic subsidiary and PlayOjo operator SkillOnNet.
The two licensees were found to be in contravention of the country’s bonus regulations by promoting bonus offers to customers on multiple occasions. As it stands, Swedish licence holders are limited to offering one bonus offer per player upon player-registration.
In its media statement, the Spelinspektionen noted: “The main purpose of the new gambling regulation is to strengthen consumer protection and reduce the negative effects of gambling. The limitation on bonuses is contained in the law to reduce social and economic damages and problem gambling.”
The review of NGG Nordic’s NordicBet set included offer promotions such as weekly surprises, cash prize draws, free spins, and free games. Having such offers available for up to four months into the new gaming law, NGG Nordic was also reported to have been organising lottery games, which is not included in the licensee’s licence conditions.
Spelinspektionen emphasised that repeated violations was not acceptable, and as a result, issued a penalty fee of SEK19m (£1.6m).
In response to the fine, Betsson has committed to appealing the fine, adding that it believed the offering was in fact compliant with Swedish legislation, though had pointed out that it had made changes following Spelinspektionen’s intervention.
During the regulators look into SkillOnNet, it was found that offers of various types of bonuses in the form of daily bonuses, monthly rewards, free spins, cashback and VIP packages were available, with lotteries organised online also not covered by the firm’s licence.
SkillOnNet, meanwhile, was found guilty of organising lotteries online, which is not covered by its igaming licence. Following numerous warnings, the licence holder was also issued with a fine, amounting to SEK14m (£1.2m) penalty fee.
