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The Swedish administrative court has confirmed fines totaling SEK 22 million (around €1.99 million) against three gambling operators—Betsson, Snabbare (owned by ComeOn Group), and Spooniker (owned by Kindred)—for failing to meet anti-money laundering (AML) obligations. The court upheld penalties imposed by Spelinspektionen, Sweden’s gambling regulator, after the operators challenged the decisions.
Betsson was fined SEK 6.5 million, Snabbare SEK 5.5 million, and Spooniker the highest penalty of SEK 10 million. The court dismissed Betsson‘s argument that the regulator’s approach was overly restrictive and that the fines were disproportionate. Instead, it ruled that the company had not adhered to Sweden’s AML framework, particularly in monitoring and verifying customer activity.
The regulator’s investigation targeted customers aged 18 to 29, focusing on the 50 individuals with the highest cumulative deposits in 2023. It found that operators had not adequately verified the source of funds when deposits exceeded what could reasonably be explained by a customer’s declared taxable income. For instance, a Betsson customer made 163 deposits totaling SEK 491,950 between September and December 2023, despite reporting an annual net income of just SEK 310,000. The regulator concluded that Betsson had not conducted sufficient due diligence to confirm the origin of these funds, despite the customer’s risk classification being low to medium.
Betsson attempted to justify the deposits as winnings from previous gambling activity, but Spelinspektionen rejected this explanation, stating that the source of funds had not been properly verified. The court’s decision underscores the critical role of customer due diligence in AML compliance, particularly when it comes to large deposits and income discrepancies.
This ruling highlights the growing emphasis on AML enforcement in Sweden’s gambling sector. Operators must now ensure rigorous verification processes to avoid similar penalties, as regulators continue to scrutinize how customer deposits and risk classifications are managed.
