Operators warned for AML failures and customer due diligence negligence
The Swedish Gambling Authority (Spelinspektionen) has issued a combined SEK 19 million ($2 million) in administrative fines to three licensed operators: Betsson Nordic, Snabbare, and TSG Interactive. All three operators have also received official warnings for serious failings in their anti-money laundering (AML) practices and due diligence protocols.
These fines follow detailed investigations which revealed ongoing compliance lapses and poor enforcement of player risk assessment procedures. The authority stressed that customer origin of funds was often not verified, raising concerns over potential money laundering and consumer exploitation.
Betsson: Red Flags Ignored to “Avoid Disturbing” Players
Betsson Nordic received a SEK 6.5 million fine for multiple AML violations. In one case, a 20-year-old customer deposited SEK 133,584 over 181 transactions in just one month, yet Betsson marked their risk profile as low, assuming the funds came from winnings.
Another alarming case involved a 23-year-old who deposited SEK 271,699 over four months. Despite this activity, a monitoring flag was removed—deliberately, in Betsson’s own words, “to avoid disturbing the customer.”
A third case saw a customer with an annual income of SEK 310,000 deposit nearly SEK 500,000 in three months, again dismissed as coming from previous wins without verification.
Snabbare: Millions Deposited by Self-Excluded Players
Snabbare, fined SEK 5.5 million, failed to take action even after receiving multiple alerts. One customer deposited over SEK 3.2 million in eight months, triggering six separate AML alerts, none of which led to enhanced scrutiny until months later.
Another player, previously self-excluded, deposited SEK 3.04 million within a year. Despite this, the operator did not intervene. Even after a third customer was discovered to be self-excluded via Spelpaus, further deposits were still permitted.
TSG Interactive: Systemic Failures and Lack of Controls
TSG Interactive, part of Flutter Entertainment, received the highest fine at SEK 7 million. The operator failed to generate proper alerts or perform enhanced due diligence in several cases. Customers were allowed to deposit funds via multiple credit cards without verifying identities or income, a breach of AML and responsible gambling obligations.
Regulatory Context: Old Laws, Maximum Fines
The sanctions stem from violations that occurred before amendments to Sweden’s Gambling Act, which means the maximum fine per case is €1 million under previous legislation. The regulator has clarified that while these fines reflect past conduct, current AML and KYC requirements have since tightened.
Spelinspektionen has been active in recent months, banning several operators for offering illegal gambling services and doubling down on AML enforcement to protect consumers and ensure market integrity.
