Kanon Gaming Receives $666K Fine from Spelinspektionen in Sweden

Across Europe, licensed gambling service providers are subject to a range of regulations. This includes strict rules related to duty of care, anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing, among other important regulations the operators need to comply with.

In case of breaches, penalties such as fines and even license revocation are possible. A recent case related to the compliance of one operator who currently holds a license in Sweden saw the implementation of a fine.

On Monday, the gambling regulator in Sweden, Spelinspektionen, announced that it has imposed a fine along with a warning against Kanon Gaming Limited, a licensee that currently operates casinoepic.se, frejacasino.se, casinogami.se and lokecasino.se.

Per the gambling watchdog’s announcement, the operator failed to demonstrate sufficient efforts to ensure the protection of individuals who have demonstrated problem gambling. The operator was criticized by Spelinspektionen for insufficient procedures related to dealing with excessive gambling among young adults.

Considering the aforementioned deficiencies, Sweden’s gambling regulator imposed a SEK 7 million ($665,800) fine against Kanon Gaming. Spelinspektionen said that the aforementioned deficiencies are in breach of the Swedish Gaming Act’s provisions regarding duty of care (2018:1138). Besides the fine, the operator also received a warning.

The Swedish Gambling Authority Sheds Light on the Deficiencies

Describing the deficiencies, the gambling regulator said that it conducted an audit of Kanon Gaming’s operations. The probe investigated “among other things, how the company handled suspicions of excessive gambling among a number of customers and what measures were taken when this was identified.”

According to Spelinspektionen’s announcement, it did not believe that the operator had sufficient procedures that sought the protection of customers from excessive gambling. “The company has not helped customers reduce their gambling when there has been a reason to do so,” wrote the Swedish gambling regulator.

Additionally, Kanon Gaming was criticized for not using a risk-based approach and lacking proactiveness in instances where a gambler displayed problematic behavior. Last but not least, Spelinspektionen claimed that the operator did not have a “description of what measures should be taken” in cases related to problem gambling among young adults between the ages of 18 and 24.

Earlier this month, Spelinspektionen confirmed the ban of MRSL NV, a company that through its MrSloty.com brand, allegedly accepted customers from Sweden. Announcing the ban, the gambling regulator said that MRSL NV did not hold a license to provide its services to Swedish customers.