GVC and Gaming Innovation Group to appeal Swedish fines
Operators rail against “disproportionate” fines which were issued without prior notice
GVC Holdings and Gaming Innovation Group (GiG) are to appeal against the Swedish Gambling Authority’s (SGA) decision to penalise them for offering betting on sports featuring minors, EGR has learned.
GVC’s bwin brand received a SEK5.5m (€520,000) penalty fee following an SGA investigation into whether Swedish-licensed operators had offered betting on football matches featuring a high proportion of players under the age of 18.
Seven other operators, including GiG, were also penalised by the regulator.
In a statement confirming its appeal, GVC said it had “no way of knowing” the three Swedish under-19 football matches highlighted in the SGA’s decision would feature a majority of players under 18.
GVC also said the SGA had issued the fines against the operators involved with “no prior notice”.
GVC said of these fixtures that only one bet was accepted and all subsequent betting on under-19 fixtures had since been discontinued.
“We provided the regulator with a detailed rationale for our policy and requested a meeting to discuss the issue,” a GVC spokesperson told EGR. “To date we have received no response, nor have we received any additional guidance,” GVC added.
GVC’s full statement can be read here.
As well as challenging the basis for the SGA’s decision, GVC questioned the “disproportionate” size of the fine issued. It argued the fine is disproportionate both in terms of the single bet taken on the fixtures in question and in the revenue calculation used to quantify it.
Meanwhile, GiG has also launched an appeal against the fine issued to its Zecure Gaming Limited subsidiary, saying it “did not agree” with the SGA’s assessment.
The Malta-headquartered operator received a SEK3.5m fine and warning for offering bets on an under-17 football match between Georgia vs. Slovakia on 28 January on its Swedish site. Qualifying its decision to appeal, GIG said the event was “incorrectly offered” online and no bets were taken from Swedish players.
The operator has questioned whether the SGA’s conclusion that “the presentation of an event cannot be considered the same as accepting bets on U18 games for the purposes of both determining the infringement and the quantum.”
GIG confirmed it had since taken all “necessary measures” to ensure its compliance with the SGA’s regulation.