The recent legal judgments unveiled on December 17 did not favor the gambling operators involved. Brands like Mr Green, Spooniker, and ComeOn made attempts to appeal.
### Spooniker Ordered to Pay SEK30 Million
A substantial penalty of SEK30 million (€2.6 million) has been imposed on Spooniker, a subsidiary of Kindred, for providing unauthorized bonuses and lotteries without proper licensing since March 2020. Initially, Spooniker faced a much heavier fine of SEK100 million, which was subsequently reduced to SEK50 million in 2021 and then further decreased this year to SEK30 million. Despite hopes for another appeal, the request was denied in the latest ruling.
### Mr Green Fined for Compliance Failures
Mr Green experienced a reduction in its financial penalty this year after appealing to the Court of Appeal. Originally, Spelinspektionen fined them SEK31.5 million in August 2021 for breaches in anti-money laundering (AML) regulations and negligence in duty of care. However, in May, the penalty was adjusted to SEK12 million for duty of care violations and SEK1.5 million for AML issues, aligned with the Supreme Administrative Court’s guidelines. Mr Green’s final effort to appeal was unsuccessful, leaving them with a SEK13.5 million penalty.
### Penalties for Four ComeOn Brands
Four other brands under the ComeOn umbrella, specifically ComeOn Sweden, Snabbare, Hajper, and Casinostugan, also sought to overturn regulatory decisions. These brands faced penalties for bonus violations dating back to February 2021. While their initial appeals were rejected, they managed to lower their penalties. Snabbare faces SEK24 million, down from SEK65 million. Hajper’s penalty was reduced to SEK14 million from SEK50 million, ComeOn Sweden’s was adjusted to SEK13 million from SEK35 million, and Casinostugan’s fine was reduced to SEK8 million from SEK25 million. Further appeals against these decisions were not granted, requiring the brands to pay the adjusted amounts.
### Cosmogames Prohibited from Operating in Sweden
In other regulatory developments, Cosmogames has been banned from offering online gambling services in Sweden without the necessary license. According to Spelinspektionen, Cosmogames was active in Sweden through its Spinarium.com and several other related websites. It allowed Swedish consumers to access and engage in gambling activities using Swedish currency without appropriate licensing, leading to the ban. Despite the ruling, Cosmogames has not responded to the regulator’s inquiries and has been instructed to halt operations immediately.