Swedish gambling regulator cracks down on operators and charities alike 1w61c

Sweden's gambling regulator, Spelinspektionen, has fined three online gambling operators a total of SEK19 million (€1.7 million) for serious breaches of anti-money laundering (AML) rules. 

Just days earlier, the same authority also penalised charitable and political organisations for lottery violations.

When even trusted public interest groups fall short, the question arises: Is Sweden’s regulatory system becoming unmanageable, or is enforcement finally catching up?

The latest operators to be punished and why 5q493p

Three operators received fines after the regulator found they hadn’t done enough to where their customers’ money came from or whether their activity was legitimate.

Operator	Brand	Fine Amount (SEK)	Fine Amount (€)
TSG Interactive PLC	PokerStars	7,000,000	€620,000
Betsson Nordic Ltd	Betsson	6,500,000	€575,000
Snabbare Ltd	faster.com	5,500,000	€485,000

All three operators failed to adequately whether their customers’ deposits and activities were legitimate.

In particular, regulators highlighted a troubling pattern: operators were relying heavily on players’ previous winnings to justify continued high-value transactions,  a practice deemed insufficient by Sweden’s AML standards.

Here is a brief overview of each operator's failures:

PokerStars (TSG Interactive PLC):

• Weak enhanced due diligence procedures.

• Failed to sufficiently customers’ sources of funds.

• Over-relied on assumptions about professional players reinvesting winnings.

• Lacked documentation to justify high-value transactions.

Betsson (Betsson Nordic Ltd):

• Inadequate due diligence for high-risk players, especially aged 18–29.

• Relied heavily on players’ past winnings without ing external income.

• Automated reports and thresholds deemed insufficient for AML compliance.

Snabbare (Snabbare Ltd):

• Accepted large deposits from young players without proper justification.

• Relied too heavily on automated monitoring with poor follow-up in risky cases.

• Failed to document rationale for allowing continued high-risk behaviour.

Promises to improve 185vf

In response, the operators offered both defences and commitments to change.

• Betsson claimed it followed accepted risk-based practices, but regulators disagreed.

• Snabbare promised new alerts for under-24s and tighter deposit limits.

• PokerStars committed to stricter checks and age-based risk profiling.

All three said they would make changes to their AML systems going forward.

Charities and political groups also face scrutiny 24m2s

The regulator’s recent actions weren’t limited to the commercial sector. 

Two prominent charities, the Swedish Breast Cancer Association and the Swedish Prostate Cancer Association, were penalised following investigations into lottery practices, particularly around telephone sales and commission agreements.

In addition, three political groups associated with the Social Democratic Party, including its youth and women’s leagues, faced fines over compliance failures in their Kombilotteriet lottery scheme.

Violations ranged from non-compliant telemarketing to marketing practices that exceeded acceptable moderation, as well as inadequate consumer protections and a lack of oversight in outsourced ticket sales.

Lack of oversight? 1y3i25

These enforcement actions come as Sweden faces criticism over its regulatory system.

A 2025 National Audit Office report found that the country’s gambling supervision has not met the standards set when the market was re-regulated in 2019.

With more investigations underway, it’s clear Spelinspektionen is trying to prove its watchdog role, but the rising number of violations across all sectors shows just how hard it is to keep everyone in line.

Compliance is not optional 3jr1h

From big-name operators to well-meaning charities, no licence holder has escaped scrutiny. 

But the wider pattern of breaches suggests a deeper issue: the system may be too complex for even experienced organisations to navigate confidently.

As Sweden’s regulator doubles down, the real challenge may not just be enforcement, but creating a framework that’s tough, fair, and clear enough for everyone to follow.