Europe

Flutter, Betsson, named latest offenders in Swedish AML probe

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Spelinspektionen has tabled a SEK 13.5m (£1m) bill to Flutter and Betsson over various AML failures breaching Swedish regulations.

In particular, the culprits this time were Flutter’s subsidiary TSG Interactive PLC, Betsson’s Nordic division, and ComeOn Group’s Snabbare Ltd.

TSG Interactive PLC
TSG Interactive is an operator licensed in Malta, who is also part of The Stars Group – which in turn is owned by Flutter Entertainment.

According to Sweden’s gambling authority, the company inhibited major shortcomings when it comes to customer due diligence and the collection of information regarding money transfers.

Spelinspektionen was not satisfied with the collected evidence of transaction assessment, which led it to believe that TSG Interactive lacked the capabilities to determine whether the sources of customer income were legitimate or posed money laundering risks.

The infringement dates back to 2023, having been uncovered through a subsequent regulatory probe in May 2024.

Sweden adopted new penalty calculations in June 2024, which were meant to impact operators significantly more by making the fee a percentage of either their turnover or gross gambling revenue.

Due to the failings taking place prior to that change, the reciprocal monetary sanction – a total of SEK 7m – was administered under the old rules, with the maximum fee amount capped at €1m (approx. SEK 10.5m) purely for AML violations.

Betsson Nordics
Similarly to the previous case, Spelinspektionen conducted a routine check into Betsson Nordics’ customer due diligence process in May 2024.

The same methodology was used as before, where 10 customers active throughout 2023 were picked based on spend and age. Spelinspektionen found that four customers aged between 20 and 24 had accumulated total deposits of between SEK 133,584 and SEK 273, 699 within the span of six months.

Four others, aged between 25 and 29, had a total deposit amount of between SEK 274,640 and SEK 491,950, again in the span of a few months.

Driven by the belief that people that age usually do not have such amounts to spend on recreational gambling, Spelinspektionen determined that Betsson Nordics should’ve classified these customers as ‘high risk’ punters – something that the operator did not do.

The outcome was the same as in the case with TSG, a sanction of SEK 6.5m due to the failures occurring before June 2024.

Snabbare Ltd
The third operator of the trio is a subsidiary of ComeOn Group. Snabbare has been ComeOn’s Sweden-specific brand since 2017, operating under a dual Swedish and Maltese license.

Again, the company exhibited insufficient due diligence procedures throughout 2023, similar to the other two on the list. Only this time, Snabbare managed to get away with the smallest sanction of SEK 5.5m.

However, the igaming operator is a recurring character on Spelinspektionen’s regulatory sanctions list. Back in 2021, it was hit with a major penalty of SEK 65m (£5m) for offering players recurring bonuses when only one-time bonuses are allowed in Sweden.

That amount was calculated based on the company’s GGR for that year, as again, the €1m maximum cap was exclusive to AML violations, unlike bonus abuse failings. But again, as of June 2024, AML sanctions are now also based on total turnover/GGR.

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BetMGM warned over marketing featuring FC Barcelona star Lamine Yamal

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Kansspelautoriteit (KSA), the Dutch gaming authority, has issued a warning to BetMGM for violating its advertising laws after an advertorial featuring FC Barcelona star Lamine Yamal appeared on a news website.

Dutch law prohibits online gambling operators from advertising with role models. They must also make sure any adverts produced don’t appeal to vulnerable groups, including minors.

A statement by the KSA revealed that BetMGM’s advertising campaign was published by the news website’s editors and was online for a short period. A media company affiliated with BetMGM discovered the advert and reported it back to BetMGM.

However, KSA noted that they didn’t hear anything about the advert from the operator themselves. The news website in question was also not identified.

The Dutch regulator said: “A BetMGM-affiliated media company discovered the violation and reported it back to BetMGM. The provider did not report it, but should have: licensees are required to inform the KSA of errors on their part that could pose a danger to consumers.”

BetMGM has only been issued with a warning by the KSA, as the regulator said the operator “quickly ended the violation and took adequate measures to prevent recurrence.

“However, the KSA emphasises that it remains the responsibility of providers to comply with the laws and regulations when they outsource advertising campaigns to external parties,” the regulator added.

“Incidents must also be reported immediately, regardless of whether an internal investigation is already underway. If violations in the area of ​​advertising occur, the KSA can take enforcement action, even if an external partner is involved.”

The BetMGM brand in Europe is operated by LeoVegas Group. The brand has launched in the markets of the UK, Sweden and the Netherlands, where it has been licensed since April last year.

In February, MGM Resorts International’s President of MGM Interactive, Gary Fritz, stated during the operator’s Q4 2024 earnings call that investments in organic growth with the BetMGM brand in European markets are “going well” so far in 2025.

Fritz said: “Growth is strong, and we believe the operating losses associated with the market entries are going to narrow throughout 2025, setting us up with a really strong exit rate and a meaningful opportunity for operational inflection going into ’26.”

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UKGC: New Consumer Voice framework to deliver high-quality research quickly

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The UK Gambling Commission is committed to delivering high-quality research efficiently through its new Consumer Voice framework, which introduces four specialist research suppliers with unique expertise.

Consumer Voice aims to help the gambling regulator understand the experiences of UK gamblers, providing information alongside the Gambling Survey for Great Britain. It seeks to offer a “flexible, targeted approach to gathering insight” and a way to conduct “deep dives into specific issues, test new ideas, and track consumer sentiment over time”.

The programme engaged with more than 10,000 gambling consumers in 2024, while previous studies have examined financial risk checks, bonus incentives, and gambling during the cost-of-living crisis.

Greater agility and reach

Undergoing restructuring, the Commission noted that Consumer Voice will be able to dive deeper into the views, motivations, and behaviours of gambling consumers.

This includes those from underrepresented or harder-to-reach groups, such as people who gamble on specific products, certain demographic groups, and those experiencing negative consequences of gambling, whether it be their own or someone else’s.

The four specialist research suppliers being included in the Consumer Voice programme under the new framework are Yonder Consulting, The Behavioural Insights Team (BIT), Humankind Research and Savanta. Each will have a two-year contract that can be extended until 2029.

Commenting on the new framework, the UKGC’s Head of Research, Laura Carter, noted that the restructuring of Consumer Voice will give the Commission “greater agility and reach than ever before”.

“With these four partners, we’re better equipped to commission high-quality research quickly and use a range of approaches to respond to emerging trends or risks as they develop,” added Carter.

“The Consumer Voice programme is central to our efforts to ensure our decisions are grounded in the lived experiences of all consumers and the evolving realities of gambling.”

Specialist research suppliers

Yonder Consulting is a specialist organisation in mixed methodology research that has partnered with the UKGC’s Consumer Voice programme for the past three years, exploring the consumer experience elements such as industry trust, unlicensed market engagement, key sporting event behaviours and the impact of marketing and bonus offers.

BIT is an experimental and behavioural research expert team that combines human behaviour understanding and evidence-led problem solving to help improve people’s lives.

Eleanor Collerton, Senior Advisor at The Behaviour Insights Team, stated: “We’re excited to contribute our expertise in experimental research to generate new insights, address key evidence gaps, and help ensure consumer voices shape meaningful and effective gambling policy, building on more than five years of work to reduce gambling harms in GB.”

Humankind Research is composed of qualitative experts with a focus on complex issues and the lived experience of hard-to-reach audiences via sensitive and inclusive research approaches to understand their experiences and needs and to guide policy and priorities.

Savanta offers fast-turnaround, cost-effective research tools that are quantitative and qualitative.

“Savanta are delighted to be one of the suppliers chosen to support the Gambling Commission on its Consumer Voice programme,” commented Olly Wright, Head of Public at Savanta.

“Through our range of quantitative and qualitative quick-turnaround research tools, we can ensure the Commission stays on the pulse of consumer opinion and behaviours and help it in its efforts to put the voice of gambling consumers at the heart of its work.”

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UKGC suspends operator licence in Bradford over responsibility failures

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The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has taken action against an amusement centre in West Yorkshire for failing to protect players through a gambling harm reduction initiative.

After being found to have failed to participate in the initiative while also failing to have a complaints and disputes process in place, Wyke Gaming & Amusement Centre in Bradford has had its operator licence suspended by the UKGC with immediate effect.

According to the UKGC, the venue failed to participate in a multi operator self-exclusion scheme that was put in place to allow problem gamblers to self-exclude from one or more venues in their area.

In addition to the failure to implement this self-exclusion scheme, Wyke Gaming & Amusement Centre was also found to have no arrangements in place for customers to be able to refer any dispute to an alternative dispute resolution entity.

To make matters worse for the Bradfordian adult gaming venue, the operator was not compliant with section 172(1) of the Gambling Act. This statute states that Category B gaming machines must not exceed 20% of the total number of gaming machines which are available for use on the premises.

Wyke Gaming & Amusement Centre’s suspension will remain in place until the Commission has been able to verify that the Licensee’s facilities are operating compliantly.

UKGC not letting up on enforcement actions
A series of incidents this year show that the UKGC is just as committed to enforcing compliance with UK betting laws and regulations as ever before. This comes against the backdrop of continuing political pressure on the sector, particularly around player protection.

In recent regulatory action taken by the UKGC, Spreadex Limited received a £2m penalty due to failings in anti-money laundering (AML) procedures and social responsibility safeguards.

The Commission’s investigation underscored a “breakdown in risk assessment” on the Spreadex.com platform, which was criticised for failing to consider core risk factors such as customer profiles, transaction methods and geographic exposure, as required under official AML guidance.

This was not the operator’s first reprimand with the regulator. In 2022, Spreadex paid a £1.36m settlement for similar AML and safer gambling failings.

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Spain regulator studies surge in iGaming identity theft 

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The General Directorate for the Regulation of Gambling (DGOJ) in Spain has moved to gain a deeper insight into the prevalence of problem gambling and how it transcends into other areas of fraud.

A myriad of experts have been brought in to deep dive into the impact of problem gambling and whether it can lead to other avenues of criminal activity.

Central to the discussions was the significance of identity theft as data was divulged from the the Protocol for Action for Impersonated Taxpayers, which revealed the extent to which tax payers were being impacted by identity theft fuelled by problem gambling.

The meeting featured insights from the Responsible Gambling Advisory Council (CAJR) and the medical field of the Madrid City Council, as stakeholders unite in a bid to mitigate problem gambling rates in Spain.

Also at the forefront of discussions was the impact of tipsters when it comes to influencing younger players. The meeting is seeking to further discover whether the rise in ..

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Gambling Commission distances itself from affordability checks

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The UK’s Gambling Commission has announced that it will not be introducing any affordability checks in an industry update on its ongoing pilot of financial risk assessments. Director of Major Policy Projects Helen Rhodes felt impelled to spell out the difference after it was presumed by most observers that “financial risk assessments” were just a…

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UKGC survey reveals demographic shifts beyond National Lottery play

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The Wave-4 datasets of the second year of the Gambling Survey of Great Britain (GSGB) have been published as the principal research project of the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC).

The GSGB was developed over a two-year period to implement a new research design for UK gambling, aimed at providing all relevant stakeholders with more frequent and consistent data on gambling prevalence and changing trends.

Wave-4 research of the GSGB was conducted by NatCen on a nationally representative sample of 5,191 adults aged 18 and over, during the period from September 2024 to January 2025.

According to headline findings, 46% of adults gambled during the previous four weeks, down from 49% in the previous wave.

Approximately one-fifth of participants (19%) engaged solely with lottery draws, including the National Lottery and charity lotteries. The overall gambling prevalence remains at 28% since 2024 when lottery-only players are excluded from the analysis.

This distinction is critical for understanding consumer risk. The 28% group consists of participants engaging in higher-risk products, whereas lottery draws are generally viewed as lower-risk gambling activities.

Riskier verticals attract younger male cohorts
The data show significant usage of products typically associated with higher gambling risk. The three most frequently used non-lottery activities were scratchcards (12%), sports betting (10%), and online instant win games (7%).

A total of 7% of survey participants who bet on sports chose to wager on live football matches, with young male participants showing the highest levels of engagement. These players also show a strong preference for betting exchanges, in-play betting, and virtual racing — products that require repeated player interaction.

Online casino activities are captured under categories such as online instant win and in-play betting, as they do not have a distinct headline designation. Harm reduction groups flag these verticals due to their rapid gameplay mechanics and highly engaging design features.

Demographic trends: younger, more digital
The age distribution shifts significantly once lottery-only participants are excluded. While gambling prevalence is highest among males aged 35–64 overall, males aged 18–24 become the most active group, with a 47% participation rate.

This younger demographic is more inclined to use digital platforms. Online gambling participation was recorded at 37% across the full sample, but this fell to 17% when lottery-only players were excluded — highlighting how lottery participation inflates digital engagement figures.

The core gambling participation rates in Wave 4 of the GSGB indicate a trend towards stabilisation. However, deeper analysis reveals a younger cohort engaging more heavily with higher-risk gambling activities. These findings offer crucial insights for future UKGC regulatory actions, helping to define patterns in modern digital gambling behaviour.

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Former anti-EU party domain converted to non-GAMSTOP casino platform

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Advertisements for non-GAMSTOP casinos have once again entered the mainstream public domain, further putting UK customers at risk.

In a development that few, if any, could’ve predicted, the website of the Brexit Party – the former political entity of Nigel Farage – is now seemingly acting as an affiliate for casinos that proudly boasts their ‘non-GAMSTOP’ offers.

This implies that the websites promoted will accept users who are excluded from regulated UK gaming sites. All operators holding a UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) must provide links to GAMSTOP as part of licensing conditions.

SBC News wrote about a similar promotion last week, where a global PR newswire ran an advertisement about such a casino. The website, MyStake, was easily accessible by anyone in the UK and certainly in breach of any UKGC regulations.

The most recent case however led to even more headscratching, as it is unusual to see a politically-related domain promoting these types of casinos.

The name ‘Brexit Party’ is no longer used by any active UK political parties, with the party itself having undergone a rebrand to Reform UK, and subsequently switched to a new website.

However, the domain name for its previous incarnation remains the same. A likely explanation is that the domain expired after Farage moved on to Reform, and was subsequently auctioned or outright bought by the affiliate who is now running it.

ComposedPix/Shutterstock
Spotlight on self-exclusion due diligence
What is even more interesting though is that the names of casinos listed there include those of Betfair and Betfred – two well-known UK brands that are licensed by the UKGC.

Of importance, both operators have previously fully committed to using GAMSTOP and prevent anyone who has self-excluded from using their services.

The UKGC’s general stance against affiliates promoting non-GAMSTOP casinos is very stringent. There are harsh regulatory punishments for operators found to be working with such affiliates.

If Betfair and Betfred are in fact in a contractual relationship with the affiliate running the former Brexit Party website, this could spell trouble for both.

UKGC guidelines dictate that operators should ensure that the affiliates they’re partnered with have removed self-excluded customers from their brand-specific marketing lists.

This means that both Betfair and Betfred should be able to demonstrate proactive actions to prevent their marketing materials from being sent to such customers.

But as they are not responsible for the rest of the affiliate’s business practices, the question remains – what about the other websites and the wider UK online space?

SBC News has reached out to Betfair, Betfred, the UKGC, and GAMSTOP for comments.

Update: Betfred has responded: “We have no partnership with this site and we have asked for the immediate removal of our logo and link.”

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Paf upkeeps social funding despite highest compliance scrutiny

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Paf, the sole gaming company of Finland’s autonomous Åland Islands, has raised €21.5m to maintain its social activities, public benefit initiatives and environmental projects.

The funds are the result of strong 2024 results, in which Paf upheld its long-standing social responsibility mandate. Notably, it remains the only European operator to self-impose general annual loss limits on customer accounts, a policy first introduced in 2018 and further tightened in 2024.

Despite the self-imposed restrictions, Paf revenues increased by 3% to €183m (2023: €177m). Group earnings were maintained at €54m, representing a slight decline on FY2023’s €55m.

Leadership views the sustained earnings as a success, particularly in the face of heavier taxation across core markets. In 2024, Finland increased its lottery tax from 5% to 12%, while Sweden raised its gaming tax from 18% to 22%, effective 1 July.

“We had a strong 2024, and we can be really pleased with the year. The trend of increased gambling taxes is bringing down earnings, but this was something we were prepared for,” said CEO Christer Fahlstedt.

Fahlstedt also emphasised the sustainability of Paf’s player base, noting that the company’s focus on lower-spending recreational customers enables it to absorb higher taxation while maintaining profitability:
“Paf is well equipped to handle tax increases thanks to our customer base, which generates long-term income from a large number of players who play for smaller amounts.”

The company made headlines by further reducing its general loss limit to €16,000 per year in March 2025, including additional restrictions for customers aged 20–24.

CEO Fahlstedt criticised Finnish gambling monopoly Veikkaus for moving in the opposite direction and raising its own player loss limits — a decision seen as undermining responsible gambling efforts.

“I am genuinely surprised and a little disappointed that our state-owned counterpart Veikkaus in Finland has chosen to raise its loss limit this spring. But we are going our own way and they are going in a different direction,” he stated.
“At a time when the social harms of gambling are well understood, it’s deeply concerning that a government-owned monopoly would choose to loosen protections rather than strengthen them.”

Paf’s transparent approach to responsible gambling was further demonstrated through its audited breakdown of customer segments.

The company reported a 12.3% increase in revenue from low-risk ‘green’ segment players, underlining its long-term commitment to sustainable operations and player wellbeing.

Moving into 2025, Paf leadership and governance will closely monitor forthcoming regulatory changes in Sweden, and the pending legal settlements for Finland to launch its online gambling market as of 2027.

The company, like other Finnish market stakeholders, has been making preparations for a regulated market launch. A notable recent initiative is a marketing one, with the firm securing a deal with F1 driver Kimi Räikkönen, one of the country’s most notable sports personalities.

Chairman Jan-Mikael von Schantz praised the Paf responsible ethos: “The level of Paf funds that can be maintained year after year, combined with the voluntary measures taken in relation to responsible gaming towards customers, is impressive. There is no other company in the industry that is currently achieving anything similar.”

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