In Sweden and the nation’s Spelinspektionen gaming regulator has again reportedly fined a pair of online casino operators for breaking its strict regulations concerning the provision of reoccurring bonuses.
Bonus breaches:
According to a Friday report from CalvinAyre.com citing an earlier declaration from the Swedish regulator, Betsson AB and SkillOnNet Limited have been collectively penalized to the tune of just over $3.01 million for being found guilty of offering ‘weekly surprises, cash prize draws, travel and free spins, bonuses, rewards [and] free games to loyal players’ in contravention of rules that were brought in some six months ago.
Sweden reportedly launched a regulated iGaming market in January while the Spelinspektionen earlier this month levied fines worth slightly in excess of $232,300 against operators Genesis Global Limited and AG Communications Limited for similar bonus-related infringements.
Reoccurring restriction:
CalvinAyre.com reported that online casino operators licensed to provide their services to players in Sweden are forbidden from offering reoccurring bonuses with aficionados only able to take advantage of a single non-transferable bonus. But, the Spelinspektionen purportedly stated that Betsson AB’s NGG Nordic Limited subordinate had been breaking this rule via its domain at NordicBet.com for at least four months to incur a fine of approximately $2.04 million.
Operator confusion:
Stockholm-headquartered Betsson AB reportedly issued a statement detailing that it had not agreed with the Spelinspektionen’s ‘interpretations’ of Sweden iGaming rules and was of the opinion that the offerings from NGG Nordic Limited had ‘been in line with what is permitted under the new gambling legislation’
Betsson AB’s statement reportedly read…
“[The] regulation on bonuses is vague and has been shown to leave much room for different interpretations.”
Lottery warning:
In terms of SkillOnNet Limited, it was reportedly hit with a financial penalty of almost $1.51 million after several of its domains were adjudged to have broken Sweden’s iGaming rules by offering ‘daily bonuses, monthly rewards, free spins, cash-back and VIP packages’. The Maltese firm is responsible for several online casinos including LunaCasino.com, PlayOJO.com and PrimeCasino.com and was moreover purportedly warned for running an online lottery, for which it is not locally licensed.