Unlicensed Gambling Operators Banned from Swedish Market

In a significant development, the Swedish gambling regulator, Spelinspektionen, has taken decisive action against unlicensed gambling operators, Moonrail Limited and Perfect Storm. The regulator's decision comes as a result of investigations that revealed the two operators were actively targeting the Swedish market without possessing the required licenses, thereby breaching Chapter 3, Section 3 of Sweden's Gambling Act.

Under Chapter 18, Section 23 of the Gambling Act, the regulator has the authority to issue bans and injunctions to enforce compliance with the law. In this case, the ban is effective immediately for both Moonrail Limited and Perfect Storm.

Spelinspektionen conducted a thorough investigation into the activities of csgo500.com, which is owned and operated by Perfect Storm, and csgoempire.com, which is owned and operated by Moonrail Limited. Both operators are registered in Curaçao, and their online platforms have been providing gambling services to Swedish customers.

Perfect Storm also oversees other gambling websites, including www.500play.com, www.csgo500.io, and www.500.casino. Moonrail Limited, on the other hand, operates various sites, such as csgoempire.tv and csgoempire.io.

The regulator's decision hinged on whether these operators actively made their games available to Swedish customers. To qualify as targeting Swedish customers, a gambling site must offer information specifically relevant to Swedish customers. This can include offering the Swedish currency for withdrawals, deposits, and winnings, as well as utilizing the Swedish .se domain.

Additionally, the site should have contact information tailored to Swedish customers and accept payment options from companies registered in Sweden. In both cases, the investigated sites had information in Swedish and contained details relevant to Swedish customers in their conditions section. Moreover, their affiliate marketing materials were also in Swedish.

Spelinspektionen clarified that if Swedish consumers are prohibited from registering and creating accounts on a gaming website, the Gambling Act does not apply in that situation. Consequently, the regulator concluded that both Moonrail Limited and Perfect Storm provided games to Swedish customers in Sweden, even without holding the necessary licenses. Both operators were given the opportunity to provide a statement in response to the allegations, but as of November 2, 2023, no statements had been received by the regulator.

This decision by Spelinspektionen reflects the ongoing efforts by Swedish authorities to regulate the gambling market and ensure compliance with the law. It sends a clear message to unlicensed operators that targeting the Swedish market without proper authorization will not be tolerated.