A Swedish court has backed LeoVegas by deciding to overturn an SEK 8 million ($854K) fine against the company. The fine was imposed by the Swedish regulator, Spelinspektionen, which argued that the operator had violated its duty of care commitments.
LeoVegas Was Accused of Not Doing Enough to Prevent Excessive Gambling
Roughly a year ago, the LeoVegas brand came under fire due to several instances of potentially riskier gambling. This came as the Spelinspektionen learned that three of the operator’s customers had displayed markers of excessive gambling. The customers in question played for extended periods of time, made high deposits, and lost significant sums over short periods.
The Spelinspektionen determined that the LeoVegas brand was too dependent on automated messages. According to the regulator, the brand should have intervened earlier to prevent the players in question from overspending.
While Roar Vegas, LeoVegas’ operator in Sweden, tried to argue that its automatic messages were in line with the market requirements, the Spelinspektionen insisted on levying a fine of $854K against the company.
The Court Overturned the Regulator’s Decision
Since Roar Vegas didn’t agree with the decision, it appealed it. The operator insisted that the fine was not fair due to the fact that there wasn’t clear guidance on when exactly to switch from automated messages to human intervention. The company argued that this caused broader confusion among operator companies.
The case was just heard in the Administrative Court in Linköping, which determined that Roar Vegas had begun its responsible gambling interventions fairly quickly. While the court noted that the operator could have handled some of the cases better, it also agreed that the rules were vague and that the operator did not commit a clear violation.
As a result, the $854K fine has been overturned. The Spelinspektionen has the option to appeal the decision within three weeks of the ruling.
LeoVegas Faced Similar Trouble in the Netherlands
LeoVegas previously found itself in hot water in the Netherlands, where the Kansspelautoriteit fined the company $590K for not protecting players well enough over a long time. The authority learned that LeoVegas broke the rules by not doing enough to prevent excessive gambling.
Speaking of Sweden and the Netherlands, the two countries are preparing to face off in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.