The Spelinspektionen, the Swedish Gambling Authority, has banned Versus Odds BV for offering gambling services in Sweden without a proper gambling license.
This decision, announced by the Spelinspektionen on the 2nd of January 2025, is effective immediately and is imposed as a result of an inspection of the FortunePanda website, a subsidiary of Versus Odds BV.
As per the details of the investigations, the Spelinspektionen found that the FortunePanda website contained multiple information in Swedish, including policy documents, terms & conditions, promo materials, and FAQs.
Moreover, the investigation found that Swedish players could register and create accounts, thus suggesting that the website supported and targeted Swedish players.
Under Chapter 3 – Section 3 of the Swedish Gambling Act (2018:1138), online gaming operators must have a license to offer gambling services within Sweden.
From here, the decision by the Spelinspektionen was based on substantial evidence that Versus Odds BV failed to comply with the Swedish Gambling Act and its regulations, specifically designed to protect players and promote safer play and responsible gambling practices.
*Interesting fact: Versus Odds BV was allowed to respond to the accusations and explain its motivation, however, the operator opted not to provide any further comments before the ban by the Spelinspektionen was enforced.
The ban on Versus Odds BV is in alignment with the strategy of the Spelinspektionen to battle illegal and unlicensed gambling operators and, consequently, motivate players to move towards licensed operators.
A similar, recent action conducted by the Spelinspektionen refers to Cosmogames, which the Swedish gambling authority banned just one month ago for similar breaches of Sweden’s Gambling Act.
Moreover, the Spelinspektionen even targets licensed operators who breach regulations. One such case was the sanctions issued against four licensed operators (Hajper, Snabbare, Casinostugan, and ComeOne Sweden), fining them $5.6 million (SEK 59 million) for unauthorized bonus offers.
