The Swedish Gambling Authority has announced decisions in two supervisory cases concerning Svenska Spel’s failure to correctly notify the gaming venue for cash machines at two bingo halls.
Svenska Spel has had a license to operate games on Vegas machines in connection with bingo in two bingo halls. During the year 2023, the bingo halls moved to other addresses where the slot machines were also moved. AB Svenska Spel has not had a license to operate games on ATMs at the new addresses and therefore receives a warning and penalty fee of SEK 2m.
Svenska Spel has said the reason is a purely administrative misunderstanding of how the relocation of cash machines would be handled at the time. During the supervision, Svenska Spel has changed and corrected its routines.
The supervisory matters concern cash machines at two different bingo halls that have moved to a new address. The administrative misunderstanding consisted of Svenska Spel understanding that a change of address should be reported to the Gambling Authority’s registrar. However, from 1 July 2023, changes were introduced to the Gambling Ordinance that mean that when moving cash machines, a notification of a gaming venue must instead be made, which must then be examined.
As the notification was not made correctly, it meant that the game on the cash machines in the two bingo halls after the move in July and September 2023 respectively was not covered by Svenska Spel’s license. The Swedish Gambling Authority has also pointed out that the two premises where the bingo halls have moved are not considered suitable as gaming places for cash machine games.
“We regret what has happened. Our intention was to do the right thing, but due to an administrative misunderstanding, it went wrong. That will not happen again,” says Thomas Engström, Operational Sales Manager Vegas at Svenska Spel.
During the inspection, Svenska Spel has rectified the procedures for moving cash machines and has also moved the cash machines from the locations in question.