Kindred ordered to leave Norwegian market
Swedish operator says it will fight market-exclusion order as it is not compatible with EEA law
Kindred Group’s Maltese-licensed subsidiary, Trannel International Limited, has been ordered to cease offering gambling services to Norwegian players by the Norwegian Gaming Authority (NGA).
The NGA said the gaming offered on the Unibet, Maria Casino, Storspillere and Bingo.com websites were geared towards Norwegian players by offering deposits and prizes in Norwegian currency, together with customer support in Norwegian.
The Norwegian regulator said following an assessment it was “obvious” that the Unibet, Maria Casino, Grand Piano and Bingo.com websites were “clearly aimed at the Norwegian market” and therefore in violation of Norwegian law.
Trannel have been given three weeks to launch its appeal or comply with the decision, but Kindred told EGR that it will continue to operate these sites because the opinion is not compatible with EEA law.
If Kindred chooses to operate beyond the three-week timescale, it could receive compulsory or regular fines aimed at ensuring its compliance with regulations. At the upper end of the scale, repeated violation of this legislation could result in individuals facing up to three years in prison.
Under Norwegian law the provision of online gambling services is limited to a monopoly of two state-run firms, Norsk Tipping, which operates sports betting and online casino games and Norsk Rikstoto, which is responsible for race betting services in Norway.
A spokesperson for Kindred said there was no legal basis for the decision, and it was “far beyond the jurisdiction of the Gaming Authority”.
“Norway does not have the authority to intervene against activities that are lawfully operated in other countries,” the firm said. “We therefore oppose the conclusions of the decision and will appeal this.”
Kindred confirmed it has submitted an appeal to the Norwegian Ministry of Culture and Lottery complaints board. It has also said it will take the matter to the courts if the appeal is dismissed.
Kindred were one of four operators targeted by Norwegian regulators in February, when they were ordered to ‘cease-and-desist’ offering Norwegian players the ability to process bank transactions from its sites. As a result of this, over 200 Norwegian banks were ordered to stop processing transactions from the operator.
Following receipt of the letter, Kindred continued to service Norway which has led to the latest escalation by the Norwegian Gaming Authority.