The Swedish Gambling Authority (SGA) said in an update that, notwithstanding a few small adjustments, the penalties it had imposed on both companies in 2019 had been maintained.
A Betsson subsidiary, NGG Nordic, and an online casino operator, SkillOnNet, were fined for giving bonuses in violation of the nation's Gaming Act. But they filed lawsuits before Sweden's Administrative Court in an attempt to overturn the regulator's rulings.
Nevertheless, the appeals of neither operator were entirely successful. While NGG Nordic's penalty charge was lowered from SEK 19 million ($2 million) to SEK 14 million, SkillOnNet's bid was categorically refused.
The Swedish Gambling Authority's first ruling was mainly sustained, although the Administrative Court "made a partially different assessment than the Swedish Gambling Authority regarding the requirement for a direct connection to the game," according to the regulator.
This led to both corporations filing additional appeals, although these have now also been denied. Consequently, SkillOnNet and NGG Nordic are required to pay their respective fines of SEK 14 million.
An SGA statement said, "The court of appeals now rejects the two companies’ appeals and agrees with the Administrative Court’s rulings."
The Court of Appeal highlights in its rulings, among other things, that the Bonus Provision is sufficiently explicit to be implemented and that any violations of it are, in theory, grave.
This revelation follows the SGA's announcement that it would “no objections” to additional limits put forth by Sweden's Ministry of Finance, even in the face of opposition from the Trade Association for Online Gambling (BOS) in that nation.
