Sweden’s Administrative Court has upheld warnings and financial penalties against Betsson Nordic, Snabbare and Spooniker, rejecting appeals over AML failures identified by the national gambling regulator.
The rulings confirm penalties totalling SEK22m (US$2.3m), comprising SEK6.5m ($673,000) for Betsson, SEK5.5m ($570,000) for Snabbare and SEK10m ($1m) for Spooniker.
Spelinspektionen imposed the sanctions in May 2025 after concluding that the operators had failed to conduct sufficiently robust customer due diligence and source-of-funds checks.
The regulator’s investigations examined customers aged 18-29 who had recorded the highest cumulative deposits during 2023. It found cases in which gambling activity appeared inconsistent with reported taxable income, but operators had not gathered enough evidence to establish whether the funds were legitimate.
In one Betsson case, a customer deposited SEK491,950 ($51,000) through 163 transactions between September and December 2023, despite reporting annual net income of SEK310,000 ($32,000). The player remained classified as low to medium risk, with the regulator concluding that the origin of the money had not been adequately investigated.
The operators argued that their risk-based controls were consistent with AML requirements and that some deposits could be explained by previous gambling winnings. The court rejected this position, finding that earlier withdrawals did not remove the obligation to verify the source of subsequent deposits.
While the court agreed that all three companies had committed serious breaches, it found repeated failings only in Spooniker’s case, rather than concluding that shortcomings at Betsson and Snabbare were systematic. Spooniker had previously been sanctioned over similar deficiencies, supporting the larger penalty.
The decisions strengthen Spelinspektionen’s interpretation of customer due diligence obligations and reinforce expectations that operators independently verify affordability and source of funds where account activity conflicts with known income.
GGN Analysis
The rulings give Swedish operators clearer notice that automated monitoring and assumptions based on previous winnings will not satisfy AML obligations. Spelinspektionen expects documented, customer-specific verification where deposits appear inconsistent with income. The court’s support strengthens the regulator’s enforcement position and is likely to prompt further investment in source-of-funds controls across Sweden’s licensed market.
