Swedish Operators Concerned Over Unregulated Payments Issue

Last September, several regulated operators in Sweden complained that a financial services company that offers next-gen open banking payments and payouts, Finshark, had facilitated a series of money transfers between consumers and unlicensed operators in the country.

A few of the worried operators carrying a license went further and asked the country’s expert authority in gambling and lottery, the Swedish Gambling Authority (SGA), to perform a careful assessment in light of additional similarities to a directive from roughly four months ago. 

The said directive convinced the provider of instant bank payment solutions that seamlessly integrate into existing systems, Zimpler, to stop providing a similar service to operators.

Things Have Gotten Worse 

As it appears, the gambling industry in Sweden does not have any good news to announce regarding the evolution of things. 

On the contrary, problems are not only persisting, but they have gotten worse in the context of an extra pay-and-play feature being allegedly added to the list. 

The primary allegation concerns a series of casino websites that are under the ownership of Infiniza Ltd, which is a Malta-based company that runs under a license issued by the prestigious Malta Gaming Authority in 2018. 

According to screenshots courtesy of NEXT.io, Swedish games are able to sign in using Swedish mobile phone numbers and complete deposits via the national identity verification system BankID with a number of banks in the country. 

The list includes Handelsbanken, Nordea, and Swedbank. The deposit’s recipient is instant payment provider Krofort which does not showcase any information regarding a license. 

Allegedly, Infiniza is the sole gaming operator in Sweden with online casino brands connected with both Krofort and Finshark. This would give it a competitive edge over licensed operators.

In 2023, regulated providers emphasized that operators in the grey market have the advantage of being able to use these types of fast payment services which are expected from domestic players looking for fast cashouts. 

The same operators raised concerns regarding the reasons why the SGA has failed to take any course of action as of yet.

The SGA Can Block Payments 

At the start of March 2023, the regulator announced it would clamp down on business-to-business suppliers offering their products to unregulated operators targeting Swedish players while failing to comply with the regulations. 

In spite of the fact that payment provision was not part of the newly installed regime, the SGA was given the right to block payments. 

In July, the authority instructed Zimpler to stop offering payment solutions via BankID to operators functioning without a license. 

Zimpler followed suit and an end to its ties with gaming companies licensed in the European Union that did not carry a Swedish license while deciding to also appeal the decision on the grounds that it affected it while raising legal problems that required clarification for the well-being of the industry.

Earlier this week, the SGA banned Smein Hosting and True Polygon Entertainment at the end of an investigation that showed they were targeting domestic players in Sweden without authorization.