Videoslots fined €1.1M in Sweden for failing to curb excess gambling
The Swedish Gambling Authority (Spelinspektionen) has fined online gambling operator Videoslots SEK12 million (€1.1m/£942,670/$1.3m) for failing to protect players from excessive gambling. The regulator also issued a formal warning, stating the company had breached duty of care rules under Chapter 14, Section 1 of Sweden’s Gambling Act.
Spelinspektionen began its investigation in spring 2024 as part of regular supervision. It analysed data from 12 players who had suffered major gambling losses. The regulator concluded that Videoslots did not act fast enough to help these individuals or effectively follow up on measures taken to reduce gambling harm.
“Videoslots has not helped customers to reduce their gambling when there was reason to do so,” .
Company response and regulator’s rebuttal
In response to the initial findings, argued that it had invested in monitoring systems and staff to reduce gambling risks and that a three-month period was too short to judge its player care performance. The operator said it used automated systems that flag risky behaviour and block further deposits once limits are reached.
However, Spelinspektionen noted that even after the system flagged issues, some players had continued gambling at high levels for almost three months. Attempts to intervene with pop-up messages, emails, and unsuccessful care calls had no real impact.
Young players at risk and data concerns
The regulator highlighted that five of the 12 cases involved young players, who are considered more vulnerable. Spelinspektionen said these cases made the situation more serious. Videoslots also raised concerns over data protection rules, claiming they were limited in how much personal data they could process to assess players’ health and financial risks. Spelinspektionen rejected this, stating: “The Data Protection Regulation therefore does not limit the company’s obligation to comply with the gambling regulation’s provisions on the duty of care.”
Improvement efforts and past penalties
Spelinspektionen acknowledged that Videoslots cooperated during the investigation and later made changes to its monitoring and evaluation processes. These updates are expected to help the company better manage gambling risks in the future.
Because of these improvements, the authority decided not to reassess the operator’s licence. Still, it imposed the fine and issued a warning.
In 2023, Videoslots was fined SEK9 million in Sweden over breaches related to anti-money laundering and financing of terrorism laws.
