Kindred Group to contest reinstated Norwegian fines

Kindred Group has confirmed it will uphold its challenge to the reinstated ‘coercive fines’ issued by the Norwegian Gaming Authority (NGA).

In September, the regulator initially warned the Malta-headquartered operator that it would impose a fine of NOK1.2m (£98,902) every day if its Trannel subsidiary did not withdraw from the market.

The fines were meant to start three weeks after the initial warning, however, this was delayed in October after Kindred stated that it would not directly market itself to Norwegian players. The operator explained this was only a goodwill gesture and would still passively accept players in the region.

Following the announcement that the NGA is reissuing the fines, Kindred said it disagreed with the legal basis for the “non-enforceable fines” and will continue to challenge them in court.

Kindred reiterated the changes it has made to Trannel surrounding its agreement not to market itself to Norwegian players. These include switching the language on all sites from Norwegian to English, removing all Norwegian flags from sites and channels, and changing the name on Storspiller to a non-Norwegian name.

The operator also no longer offers Norwegian-speaking customer services and no longer advertises in Norwegian.

In a statement, Kindred said: “Despite these changes and Trannel’s clear communication to the contrary, Lotteritilsynet [NGA] incorrectly claims that Trannel’s offering still targets Norwegian residents and has therefore decided to reinstate the coercive fine.

“Trannel firmly disagrees with the assessment as it is fully legal for Norwegian residents to access and use international gambling services, which are licensed in the EU/EEA area and offered within a safe and secure environment; Kindred will continue to passively accept customers residing in Norway.

“Lotteritilsynet does not have jurisdiction over Trannel as the company is domiciled in Malta and duly licensed by the Maltese Gaming Authority. Therefore, Kindred is confident that the coercive fine cannot be enforced by Lotteritilsynet outside of Norway.”

The operator also stated that it has applied for a licence in Norway and actively wants to contribute financially to the region. Only state-owned Norsk TIpping and private trust Norsk Rokstoto are licenced to operate in the region.

Kindred has spoken out in the past about how Norway should set up a non-discriminatory licensing system to allow foreign operators to secure approval in the country.

It said: “Kindred strongly believes that a locally licensed, transparent and non-discriminatory gambling market in Norway where responsible operators can operate under the supervision of competent authorities is the best solution for Norwegian society, players and operators.”