L&L Europe hit with fine for Swedish self-exclusion failings
Malta-headquartered operator cites Banking ID supplier error as reason for self-exclusion breach
Malta-headquartered operator L&L Europe has been fined SEK600,000 (£482,000) by the Swedish Gambling Authority (SGA) for allowing a self-excluded player to gamble online via its sites.
Under Swedish gambling laws, operators must connect to the Spelpaus national self-exclusion scheme, ensuring that all players who have self-excluded are barred from continuing to gamble.
However, a previously self-excluded player confirmed to the SGA that he had been allowed to gamble on L&L’s sites. The money deposited by this player has since been returned.
L&L said a change in its Banking ID software supplier created a 45-minute delay in processing legacy players who were registered with the business prior to 1 January 2019 for a nine-day period between April and May 2019.
This led to a problem with connecting to the Spelpaus database, in which the player could continue to gamble despite self-excluding. The problem has since been resolved by the operator.
L&L Europe is licensed by the Malta Gaming Authority, the UK Gambling Commission and the SGA. The firm operates several websites including Yeti Casino, Norge Casino, Fun Casino and Karl Casino.
“The fact that L&L has not fulfilled what it takes to control its customers who are registered in Spelpaus before being allowed to play speaks for itself that the violation should be considered serious,” the SGA said in its ruling.
The SGA issued L&L Europe with a fine and a warning rather than revoking its Swedish licence due to the firm rectifying the error and refunding the affected player.