Danish Gambling Authority blocks 25 online gambling and skin betting sites
1xBet among 10 operators excluded following court case
The Danish Gambling Authority (DGA) has blocked 25 online gambling and skin betting sites following the imposition of a court order in the Copenhagen city court.
Websites including 1xBet, NordicCasino and Cashpot Casino were among 10 sites being blocked for operating without a licence. Birgitte Sand, director of the Danish Gambling Authority, said the regulator was trying to protect its licensees and players.
Under Danish law, the DGA can seek a court injunction to block the ISP of any unlicensed gambling website identified, with the URL of any blocked operator appearing on the DGA’s website. It also has the powers to seek a court injunction requiring Danish payment providers to block unlicensed operators.
As part of this process, a further 15 websites offering skin betting on games including CS:GO have also been blocked. The authority has implemented a new strategy targeting skin betting sites, as these are deemed by many regulators to be a form of online gambling that is accessible to individuals under the age of 18.
Danish regulators have said this strategy “has already proved effective and should make it even easier to find illegal skin betting sites”.
Denmark was among 18 gambling regulators which signed an international information sharing declaration aimed at exploring links between loot boxes, skin betting and online gambling among minors in November.
The DGA confirmed it blocked 24 online gambling and skin betting sites over the course of 2018 but has highlighted an “increasing problem” with the illegal offering of gambling and skin betting sites via the use of Facebook groups.
As part of efforts to combat this, the DGA will provide Facebook with a report on illegal gambling related content and sites accessible by Danish players, with four online groups being identified as offering illegal gambling during 2018.