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Bet365 Swedish licensed arm Hillside ENC have been fined SEK1 million by regulator Spellinspektionen after allegedly taking bets on an under 18’s match.Local licensee Hillside has been found accepting bets during a match between Kronangs and Mariedals IK which took place in March 2020. Three-quarters of all players involved were under 18. The current gambling law in the country prohibits bets on matches of under 18’s and the game in question fell into this category.
Rejected Charges
Hillside rejected the charge, stating they only provided odds, which is legal and the match was not specifically for U18. The company stated it had taken immediate corrective steps that bets made on under-age matches never happen again. All bets were voided on the match, amongst other factors.Although the bets were only taken on a single match, Bet365 argued that if in fact, the bets had violated the Swedish Gambling Act and should only warrant a warning. Spelinspektionen still imposed the SEK1 million fine as a warning of direct and serious infringement, which warranted more than a warning. The bets violated Chapter 8 of Sweden’s Gambling Act which became policy in 2019.
Past Fines
Bet365 has come under scrutiny in the past with the Swedish regulator where bets had previously been taken on under 18 matches. During 2019, eight companies came under fire from the regulator including UK Bet365 after bets were offered on matches where the majority were under 18. That particular fine cost Bet365 SEK10 million.In May 2019, after the SEK10 million fine, Bet365 did contest stating lack of transparency by the Swedish regulator however, the Administrative Court in Linkoping, after considering mitigating factors ruled the serious nature of the violations equaled the fine.During 2019, Bet365 announced they would no longer take bets on any Swedish football matches classified as U20, U21, U22, and U23.