The Swedish Gambling Authority (SGA) has issued bans to two Costa Rica-based companies that were found to be illegally targeting players in the Scandinavian country.
The firms in question are Rabocse Sociedad de Responsabilidad Limitada (Rabocse SRL) and Solid Software Solutions SRL.
Both companies were found to be in violation of the country’s gambling legislation as they were operating without the required licence to provide games to Swedish players.
During an inspection of the website solidlotto.com, operated by Solid Software Solutions, the SGA uncovered several pieces of evidence that suggested the platform was targeting Swedish players.
These included the website displaying contact details for customer service via a Swedish phone number, in addition to presenting reviews from Swedish players.
The site’s registration form also had Sweden selected as a default country when visited from a Swedish IP address.
The SGA discovered that gaming operations conducted under the Solidlotto brand had marketing directly targeting Swedish customers, provided customer support in Swedish and used invoice services from a Swedish company.
Furthermore, the regulator failed to find any protocols preventing Swedish players registering with and creating an account on solidlotto.com.
With regard to Rabocse SRL, the SGA found that games aimed at the Swedish market were available on the operator’s gxmble.io, palmcasino.io, seven7.casino, slottio.com, wildzy.io, winstler.co and winzter.com platforms.
Each page displayed information in Swedish, featured the Swedish flag, had Sweden listed as a selectable country during the registration process and used an e-identification service exclusively used in Sweden.
Rabocse SRL, which is licensed in Anjouan, and its affiliates also had marketing materials aimed at Swedish customers.
Wildzy.io and winzter.com used direct marketing in the form of text messages and emails targeting Swedish players.
Similarly to Solid Software Solutions, no measures were put in place to stop Swedish consumers registering and creating an account.
Both companies were given the chance to respond to the SGA but, at the time of writing, are yet to put out a statement.
The SGA said: “The Gambling Act applies to games provided in Sweden, with specifically stated exceptions. The decisive factor in determining whether the Gambling Act applies to online gambling is whether the game is intended for the Swedish market or not.
“The Swedish Gambling Authority assesses that Rabocse SRL provides games in Sweden because the company has information in Swedish on its websites, the Swedish flag is present and Sweden is selectable as a country.
“Solid Software Solutions SRL has contact information for customer service with a Swedish phone number, has a registration form where Sweden and the Swedish country code +46 are pre-selected when visiting from a Swedish IP address.
“The Swedish Gambling Authority therefore decides to prohibit Solid Software Solutions SRL and Rabocse SRL from providing games in Sweden.
“The Swedish Gambling Authority considers that, in the interests of consumer protection and to guarantee gaming safety, it is important that the decision is complied with immediately. The decision shall therefore apply immediately.”
Back in June, the SGA issued a ban to Curaçao-based operator Simba NV for operating in the country without the necessary licence.
The post Swedish Gambling Authority issues bans to two unlicensed Costa Rican firms first appeared on EGR Intel.
Both Solid Software Solutions and Rabocse SRL were found to be illegally targeting players in the country following investigations by the regulator
The post Swedish Gambling Authority issues bans to two unlicensed Costa Rican firms first appeared on EGR Intel.