Sweden’s regulator bans GG.bet operator for unlicensed activities
Spelinspektionen, Sweden’s gambling regulator, has officially prohibited ASG 360 Services, the operator behind the GG.bet brand, from conducting any gambling activities within the country due to its provision of unlicensed online gambling services.
In a detailed investigation published on March 13, 2024, Spelinspektionen discovered that GG.bet had been unlawfully targeting Swedish players. ASG 360, which is registered in Cyprus, lacks the requisite Swedish gambling licence to operate legally within the jurisdiction.
The regulator noted that while ASG 360 holds a gambling licence in Curaçao, it is issued to its parent company, River Entertainment BV, which is irrelevant for compliance with Swedish legislation.
Spelinspektionen outlined that Swedish players could register, deposit funds, and participate in games on GG.bet without any deployed geoblocking measures, a clear violation of local regulations.
The investigation highlighted specific breaches of the Swedish Gambling Act, including the provision of Swedish currency as a betting option and the use of Swedish-language promotional affiliates. While the law imposes strict penalties against unlicensed operators, a gap exists that does not penalize those targeting players with English content and transactions in foreign currencies like euros.
Moreover, Spelinspektionen identified ASG 360’s involvement with multiple mirror websites that feature variations of the GG.bet brand. However, the full extent of these sites operating within Sweden at the time of investigation remains unclear.
Due to these violations, the regulator declared the activities of ASG 360 as illegal gambling. Despite attempts to seek clarification from ASG 360 regarding the matter, the operator failed to respond.
In its ruling, Spelinspektionen detailed its criteria for assessing whether unlicensed operators are targeting Swedish consumers. A key factor is whether users can register for an account on the platform. If registration is not possible, the site is not considered to be targeting local players, and hence, the Swedish Gambling Act would not apply.
Conversely, the regulator’s findings confirmed that users could easily create accounts on GG.bet and access its gaming offerings.
Additional signs of regulatory non-compliance included the provision of gambling services in Swedish kronor (SEK) and targeted marketing efforts in the Swedish language.
Given these infractions, Spelinspektionen issued an immediate ban, stating, “In the interest of consumer protection and to ensure gaming safety, it is imperative that this decision is adhered to without delay.”
GG.bet: One of Sweden’s Most Popular Illegal Gambling Sites
This enforcement action coincided with data released by ATG on March 13, revealing that GG.bet ranked as the fifth most frequented illegal gambling site in Sweden during Q4 2023.
During this quarter, GG.bet attracted 76,124 visitors, with website traffic showing an upward trend from Q3 through Q4. In contrast, Luckyjungle.com, which only launched its services in Sweden in Q3 2023, led the traffic charts with 147,284 visits in Q4.
Among the 20 largest unlicensed gambling sites, 17 utilize platform providers that are also associated with licensed operators. Furthermore, two sites are already on Spelinspektionen’s prohibited list of unlicensed operators, which now numbers three following the addition of GG.bet.
This situation underscores the ongoing challenges within the Swedish gambling landscape, particularly in regulating unlicensed operators who seek to engage local players. Spelinspektionen continues to combat this issue through strong legislative enforcement and public awareness initiatives to protect consumers and ensure fair gaming practices across the market.
