Operating Issues
Spelinspektionen is the gaming inspectorate that has authority over lotteries, casino games, and other gambling activities in Sweden. Its task is to ensure that each activity takes place in a legalized, safe, and reliable manner. When issues arise, the inspectorate acts. Spelinspektionen has announced that Global Gaming AB’s flagship online casino, Ninja Casino, has been suspended, effective immediately, because several operating deficiencies were found.
A subsidiary of Global Gaming, SafeEnt, is in charge of operating the Ninja Casino brand. During a recent market update, Spelinspektionen announced that it had discovered major issues within Ninja Casino based on the operation of the site by SafeEnt. The group has now lost its license to operate in Sweden.
The inspectorate moved quickly to suspend SafeEnt after the deficiencies were found. Spelinspektionen?found that the operator had failed to maintain proper player protections at Ninja Casino and also failed to apply the correct anti-money laundering procedures on the site.
Customers of Ninja Casino were reportedly able to bet large amounts of money and SafeEnt did not carry out procedures known as duty of care. Several customers were able to play beyond their set deposit limits.
When it comes to anti-money laundering procedures, customer profiling and KYC provisions on risk assessment were an issue at Ninja Casino.?The group also offered bonus incentives to players when they were not supposed to. The laws state that bonuses can only be offered to a site’s new players.
Acting CEO of Global Gaming,?Tobias Fagerlund, said that Ninja Casino was taken offline. The group is reportedly dealing with the situation.
Sweden’s regulated iGaming sector
After legal changes, the online gambling sector of Sweden was officially not a monopoly beginning on January 1. According to VSO News, the official launch included the licensing of 30 operators to offer online gambling platforms to customers of the country.
Changes were made in the region after online gambling became more prominent globally. The Swedish authorities realized that changes were needed to better regulate the industry. There are now three different segments in the gambling sector. The competitive sector is home to the online gambling industry and sports betting. The gambling and public interests sector involves bingo and lottery gaming while the state sector is home to slot machines and physical casinos.
For online gambling, license holders must track player activity closely to avoid problem gambling issues. Policies must also be enforced to ensure that problem gamblers do not have access to their platforms.
Bonuses and free bets are allowed only for new customers. This is where SafeEnt was found to be in violation with Ninja Casino. They were offering bonuses on a regular basis to players, with certain offers involving lotteries, options not covered by the company license. Existing customers are not allowed to receive free wagers or bonuses.
SafeEnt has provided the inspectorate with measures they plan on taking to correct the issues. However, Spelinspektionen believes that the measures are not sufficient and that SafeEnt does not have the understanding of important parts of regulations that govern iGaming operations.