Lottoland fined £58,000 for offering Swedish lottery betting without permission

Lottoland has received a SEK700,000 (£58,000) fine from the Swedish Gambling Authority (SGA) for offering lottery betting without first obtaining the permission of lottery monopoly holder Svenska Spel.

The fine comes after investigators from the SGA found Lottoland had been offering bets on Svenska Spel’s Eurojackpot.

The regulator also claimed Lottoland had been offering online scratchcards, which it is not currently permitted to do under its Swedish licence for online gaming and betting.

Under Swedish gaming law, only Svenska Spel can offer lottery-based gaming, while lottery betting on Swedish lotteries is permitted only with the express permission of Svenska Spel, which also retains a monopoly on scratchcard-based gaming.

Lottoland has since ceased offering both games, however the SGA said there was evidence the operator had been offering these games since February and the violation of Swedish law was serious enough to necessitate a formal warning and fine.

In addition, the SGA said Lottoland had not been “sufficiently clear” in highlighting the difference between lottery and lottery betting.

Nigel Birrell, CEO of Lottoland, said the company was aware of its fine and was “currently in ongoing communication with them about this matter”.

Earlier this week, Global Gaming became the first operator to lose its Swedish licence, following what the regulator found to be repeated AML, social responsibility and bonus failings.