Aspire Global hits back at advertising lawsuit
Company says it “will not accept” attempt by Swedish consumer ombudsman to set new precedent
The Swedish consumer ombudsman (KO) has launched a lawsuit against Aspire Global over the advertising of bonuses within its Karamba online slots brand.
In its lawsuit, filed with the Swedish Patents and Markets court, KO alleged Aspire Global had not observed moderation within its marketing practices, claiming it was in violation of the Swedish Gambling Act.
Speaking to EGR, an Aspire Global spokesperson said the company was “not pleased to put it mildly” by the lawsuit and said it would not accept KO’s attempts to set a precedent.
“The regulation in Sweden in fairly new and yet, there is no established practice in how to interpret the marketing law,” the spokesperson said.
“This can be seen clearly when comparing the marketing of our peers which is in line with ours.
“Swedish KO is clearly trying to set a precedent and we are not pleased, to put it mildly, to have been made the target in this pursuit of theirs and we will not accept it.”
KO cited the advertising of SEK 2,000 bonus and 100 free spins to players made via the Karamba site, which it alleged had been made with no reference to the specific terms and conditions of the offer.
One of the adverts cited by the Swedish Consumer Ombudsman in its suit against Aspire Global
Under the terms of the offer, a player must invest at least SEK 70,000 to qualify for the bonus, bonus funds must be turned over 35 times within a 21-day period and the 100 free spins are available for one day only.
KO said this style of bonus incited players to gamble more, in violation of the requirement not to encourage further gambling. In addition, KO claimed terms and conditions governing this offer were written in an “unclear way” on the Aspire Global site and were totally absent from consumer-facing marketing.
KO claims that Aspire’s ads do not feature required links to terms and conditions or under-age warnings
In its lawsuit, KO asked the court to issue a fine against Aspire Global for these violations and for the court to prohibit Aspire from issuing these sorts of marketing communications again.
Aspire Global has previously received a £250,000 fine from the Swedish Gambling Authority in April over its failure to connect to the Spelpaus national self-exclusion database.
KO legal counsel Pär Magnusson said: “The company entices consumers to play with the help of lures that you will in reality never get to know without playing for huge amounts. This risks affecting everyone who has difficulty controlling their gambling,” Magnusson added.